Mindfulness Expert See Healthy Growth and Demand for Training in China's Capital

Mindfulness Expert Sees Healthy Growth and Demand for Training in China's Capital

Anna Pellegrin Hartley | Jan 3, 2019 8:30 am | Add a comment | 2943 reads

At first glance, this year could be viewed in many ways as unexceptional, yet the first thing that struck us from conducting these interviews for The Year From Every Angle is that by and large 2018 was a year of progress.

The positivity and hope displayed among these seemingly disparate endeavors, including art, activism, mental health, and even the leisure pursuits have arisen from communities quietly coalescing around a number of shared and strengthening goals and beliefs. Though some of those objectives fell afoul of the authorities, advancements over the last 12 months have laid a solid groundwork for what looks to be a fine year ahead.

Before we gaze forward, however, it’s time to read back on Beijing’s 2018 from (nearly) every angle.

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Name: Erin Lee Henshaw

Title: Mindfulness Trainer and Co-Founder, The Mind Body Project
2018 in 5 words: Challenging, Travel, Creativity, Synthesis, Teaching

“I was shocked that our neuroscience-backed mindfulness programs were so well received here.” In the eyes of Erin Lee Henshaw, 2018 has been a boon, both for her professionally and for the mindfulness movement more broadly, a community that she says has “exploded” in size and popularity in Beijing. As proof, Henshaw cites both the rise of yoga studios and the number of large companies that are embracing “not only an annual wellness week but more weekly offerings for rest, reflection, and movement.” This appetite for the mental health and stress management benefits that come with mindfulness training has allowed her to branch out to offer trauma-informed courses aimed at yogis, tour guides, and teachers. However, she stresses that mindfulness is for everybody.

Looking back on the year, she is especially proud to have collaborated with her former company, cultural center The Hutong, to develop their wellness offerings. “I really hope to help more schools and companies add mindfulness tools to their curricula to help teachers and students manage stress.” When it comes to community, Henshaw doesn’t just talk the talk. As well as working with The Hutong, she credits partner Taozi Tree Yoga Studio and School for “creating a welcoming community for students to look further into their personal journey in Beijing,” even though she regrets that those programs weren’t available back in 2010 when she first arrived in the city.

As interest in mindfulness builds, Henshaw predicts more and more texts will be translated into Chinese, making information more widely available than before. For those starting out, Henshaw recommends attending a hatha yoga class and tapping into the many great resources online such as Mindful Schools’ course Mindfulness Fundamentals, The Berkeley Center for Greater Good’s (free) Happiness Course, and the resource library of her own website at themindbodyproject.com.