Meditation and mindfulness are becoming mainstream in business as a way of helping professionals deal with the daily stress of work and personal lives in today’s chaotic world. A little realized business trend is training executives and employees how to reduce stress which in turn helps them to become more focused, productive and innovative. And compassionate.

One of the people leading this charge is Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, one of the world’s most successful business leaders - and a big fan of meditation and mindfulness. So much so that he recently put meditation rooms on every floor in his new prestigious Salesforce building in San Francisco. 

And this year’s Dreamforce conference (Salesforce’s annual user conference), one of the largest technology events in the world (with 170,00 attendees from over 83 countries), was no exception. Mindfulness zones were spread across the venue so attendees could experience meditation firsthand - taught by Zen monks no less! Benioff invited 20 monks from Plum Village Monastery in Southern France - home of the Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh - to run daily mindfulness sessions, including early walking meditations. 

And in true Benioff style, he dedicated a half day of the conference to a "Day of Compassion.” Special keynote speakers and thought leaders spoke about the value of compassion in our everyday lives. Here’s the rundown for Friday, October 7, 2016: 

Walking Meditation
Dreampark, Mindfulness Zone
The day kicked off at 8am with a 30-minute guided Walking Meditation with Zen monks and nuns of Plum Village Monastery at the Mindfulness Zone.

Mindfulness Meditation for Well-Being
Moscone South, West Mezzanine 250-262
At 9am, attendees experienced the mindfulness and meditation techniques from the monks and nuns of Plum Village Monastery in Southern France.

Day of Compassion Keynote Speakers (10am-1pm)
See more info on Day of Compassion guest speakers below:

Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.
Author “Emotional Intelligence”
Daniel is an author and psychologist. He wrote for The New York Times for 12 years, reporting on the brain and behavioral sciences. The Wall Street Journal ranked Daniel among one of the 10 most influential business thinkers.

Larry Brilliant, MD MPH DSc
Chairman, Skoll Global Threats Fund
Larry, TED Prize winner and one of Time 100’s most influential people, is the acting Chairman of the Board of the Skoll Global Threats Fund whose mission is to confront global threats like pandemics, climate change, water, and nuclear proliferation.

Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP
Founder & CEO, Center of Youth Wellness
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is an American pediatrician, known for linking adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress with harmful effects to health later on in life. Her highly successful TED Talk, “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime” has been viewed more than two million times. 

Marc J. Francis, Co-Director
Filmmaker "Walk With Me"
Mark is an award-winning filmmaker. His latest movie “Walk With Me” is narrated by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch (love him as Sherlock!). The film follows the community of monks and nuns who practice the art of mindfulness and meditation with Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Elizabeth Gilbert
Author “Eat Pray Love” and “Big Magic"
Elizabeth is a best-selling author. Her book “Eat Pray Love” has sold more than 10 million copies around the world. Many of you may have seen actress Julia Roberts playing her in the movie version. Elizabeth's latest best-seller is “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.” 

Enjoy your day of compassion and mindfulness. 
Namaste 

How to Reduce Your Stress
If you are new to meditation and want to know how to get started, check out our self-paced online Meditation course below:

Mindfulness Meditation: 7 Simple Steps To Zen