Mindfulness Inside & Out with Dr Kian Bee Ng

Mindfulness is a big buzz word in the corporate world today, what with companies like Google introducing workers to new ways of reducing stress through meditation, yoga classes, and colouring-in books. But what is it really? And how does it work? Join us on Tuesday 27 September at 7pm for an insightful and practical look at mindfulness from the perspective of the brain: how it functions, how certain practices enhance the way your brain works, and how you can really benefit from mindfulness.

Dr Kian Bee Ng, is a neuroscientist by training and a practiced academic with an educational institution in Singapore. He obtained his PhD from Queensland Brain Institute and was a visiting scholar to Harvard Medical School, and is an INSEAD alumnus from the IDP-C Program. 

With almost 2 decades of working experience in the field of engineering, business development, research and education , Kian is interested in studying the activation of brain networks related to human learning and environment. He is also keenly passionate about applying neuroscience for business and marketing as he believes that the more we understand the connectivity of our brain, the more we can attain better mental health and make better individual and business decisions. 

Kian will be sharing systematic and evidence-based studies to link mindfulness with the way we operate in a business environment, to evoke tangible rewards in personal performance, decision making and best practices.

Registration link.

Carmen Teo

Mindfulness Teacher

Research Interests: Efficacy of Mind-body based Interventions on well-being, Learners Motivation and Outcomes in mind-body interventions, Mindfulness in organizations

 

Carmen Teo is an independent mind-body practitioner who helps people improve their quality of life and well-being. She is trained to deliver the MBSR program with UC San Diego Center of Mindfulness. She is also a Workplace Mindfulness Trainer, .b Trainer (for 11 to 18 year olds), Yoga Instructor/Therapist and Kids & Families Yoga teacher. Her own mindfulness journey started in 2007 which helped her cope with and heal from a long period of burnout and unexplained health issues. She spent 15 years in marketing, consulting and strategy in the corporate world before pursuing her passion in mindfulness and yoga teaching.

Mallika Kripalani

Mindfulness Teacher, Teacher

Research Interests: attention, child development, education, resilience, stress management

 

Mallika is an elementary school teacher who has worked at international schools in Singapore for over 11 years. Her background was originally in the insurance industry, but she soon realised that her passion lay in teaching. What she has come to realise since starting her own practice of mindfulness, is that children are taught all the academic skills they need but there also needs to be a focus on the life skills of resilience, managing stress and increasing concentration and attention. Mallika feels that mindfulness is needed by young people and adults today, especially in our content-saturated world of technology. Learning mindfulness skills, which can be applied every day, can bring greater clarity and peace of mind.

Sheryl Bathman

Mindfulness Teacher

Research Interests: counselling, MBSR, psychotherapy

 

Sheryl is a professional counsellor and psychotherapist, who has worked with the local, expatriate and corporate communities in Singapore for over a decade. An Australian who has lived in Singapore since 1999, she founded Lifesteps in 2005 and opened her private consultation office in the central Orchard district in 2007. In addition to her counselling and psychotherapy work, Sheryl has been conducting mindfulness programmes (MBSR) in Singapore since 2009.

Wei Chieh Choo

Mindfulness Teacher

Research Interests
caregivers, healthcare, medical professionals, palliative care

Wei Chieh is a medical doctor in general practice. He joined Lifesteps in 2016 as a mindfulness teacher and has conducted mindfulness training with organizations and the general public. Prior to joining Lifesteps, Wei Chieh worked as a neuroscience researcher. In addition to conducting mindfulness training, Wei Chieh also collaborates with academic researchers studying mindfulness.

Angie Chew

Mindfulness Teacher

Research Interests: Efficacy of mindfulness on workplace productivity, parents and child relationships

 

Angie Chew is the lead mindfulness trainer at Brahm Centre. She has been a mindfulness practioner for over 15 years. She is a certified .b and paws b trainer and completed MBSR Teachers Practicum comducted by Centre for Mindfulness (UMass).
She conducts mindfulness programs at Brahm Centre, corporates and schools. Clients include Goldman Sachs, Agency For Integrated Care, Institute for Mental Health, Keppel, NTUC Learning Hub. Before becoming a mindfulness trainer, she held senior positions at Visa International, Accenture, Singapore Airlines and HP.

Fannie Kiat Hui Khng

Psychologist, Researcher

Research Interests
attention, child development, cognitive psychology, executive functions, inhibition, mindfulness

Fannie is a research scientist with the Education and Cognitive Development Lab at the National Institute of Education, in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her main research focus is on the cognitive science of learning, development, and performance, on both behavioral and neurophysiological levels. She is particularly interested in the study of inhibitory control and attention, and their role in cognitive-emotional self-regulation in children and adolescents. Her work includes investigations into the effects, mechanisms and boundary conditions of mindfulness, and mindfulness in education.

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Shian-Ling Keng

Mindfulness Teacher, Psychologist, Researcher

Research Interests
borderline personality disorder, Depression, efficacy and mechanisms of mindfulness-based interventions, emotion regulation, mindfulness meditation

Dr. Shian-Ling Keng is trained as a clinical psychologist and a qualified MBSR teacher. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at National University of Singapore. Her research interests include a) efficacy and mechanisms of change of cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based interventions, b) emotion regulation, and c) mindfulness meditation. She is also interested in researching adaptation, implementation and dissemination of empirically supported interventions in Southeast Asia and cross-cultural presentations of psychopathology, in particular depression and borderline personality disorder. Shian-Ling has received clinical training in cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and other mindfulness-based approaches such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. She has worked in hospital and clinic settings with patients of a variety of diagnoses, including mood, anxiety, substance use, and personality disorders. She aspires to help improve the quality and accessibility of mental health services in Southeast Asia through teaching, research, advocacy and community outreach.

Finding Mindfulness in a Conference

For those interested in mindfulness research, attending a conference focused on mindfulness research is a real treat. Such was my experience of attending the Second International Conference on Mindfulness recently.

The Second International Conference on Mindfulness was held between 11 May to 15 May 2016 at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. The conference program was very rich, and was well-attended by over 400 participants from many countries. It featured keynote speakers like Ven. Bhikkhu Analayo, Rebecca Crane, Peter Malinowski, to name a few.  They spoke on diverse topics related to mindfulness, such as the early Buddhist perspectives, attention, and meditation training. The symposium and posters sessions were also equally rich in diversity. Those interested to check out the whole program at-a-glance can click here, while the book of abstracts can be downloaded here. I am pretty sure you can find something that interest you.

One unique thing about this conferences is perhaps the numerous opportunities for mindfulness or meditation experience. For example, there were daily meditation sessions held during the conference at 7.30 am, where different styles of meditation (e.g., Tibetan, Chan) are introduced. There was even a Shao Lin martial arts demonstration, which got us trying out some mindful movements on the spot.

The next edition of this conference will probably be held at the University of Amsterdam in 2018.

~ contributed by Adrian Kee

Jochen Reb

Mindfulness Teacher, Researcher

Research Interests
decision making, mindful leadership, Mindfulness in organizations

Dr Jochen Reb is Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources as well as the founding Director of the Mindfulness Initiative @ SMU at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University (SMU). He conducts research on mindfulness in organizations with a special focus on mindful leadership. He recently published the book Mindfulness in Organizations (Cambridge University Press). He is a qualified MBSR instructor and facilitates executive programs on working and leading with mindfulness.