In today’s busy world, finding time to unwind and reflect is increasingly becoming difficult. However, experts suggest that spending a few minutes for mindfulness meditation each day can add to individual contentment and happiness. This was one of the key lessons at the first-ever Happiness Forum held in Paro today. More than 100 participants from nine countries came together to share their views and experiences on finding happiness by striking a balance between spiritual and economic well-being.
One of the participants was Dr Apple Chew (PhD), a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She shared that taking just five minutes to practise mindfulness meditation during her lunch break kept her motivated and made her work more enjoyable.
“It is really hard because I spend 9 to 5 in a lab in a closed environment doing a lot of repetitive stuff. I practise meditation myself. I do it five minutes a day during my lunchtime. So, I would probably encourage participants to take even five minutes a day just to reset their minds because when you work throughout the day you get tired and your motivation goes down and when it does, practising mindfulness for even a short amount of time will hopefully boost your motivation again and help you enjoy your work.”
The forum talked about creating and establishing mindfulness-inspired ideas and solutions across various areas including government policies, community initiatives, healthcare, agriculture, green energy, information technology, culture, and spirituality.
“Every individual looks at happiness from a different angle. Through the participation from nine countries, we hope that this group will come up with some basic ideas on how we as individuals attending this forum can enhance happiness. How we can come up with fundamental solutions and basic ideas to promote happiness,” said Chencho Tshering, the coordinator.
The event was coordinated by a private tour company. There are plans to conduct the next edition of the forum in Bhutan again.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
Edited by Sonam Pem
