Mindful Driving is like a walk on
the beach after a long day.
About Mindful Driving
By Founder and CEO Joanna Mason
Mindful Driving is like a walk on the beach after a long day. It relaxes the body and mind, deeply allowing
physical, mental and emotional strength to flow.
Mindful Driving allows a wide range of people to come together with the common vision of kinder, happier, safer roads. And as we achieve this, the ripple effect on individuals and communities can be profound. Practising Mindful Driving has helped me to be kinder on, and off the road. I feel the change in those little everyday things that pop up and I know how the previous me would have felt and acted compared with my current me. One time I noticed it when I had just enough time to pick up a couple of groceries then be somewhere. The check-out person was super slow. She chatted to the previous customer then began on my few items, rolling each one over to see the barcode before scanning and bagging. It was just like slow traffic or stopping for road works (when no-one is even working!) I decided not to get frustrated but to trust I'd still arrive in time. I took a deep breath and let it go. We ended up having a giggle and I walked away feeling good. Another time in the car park, I helped an irritated, older man juggle his shopping bags to the car and shared a joke and a warm smile. Before Mindful Driving I would have been too shy to offer help. In both these cases, we all moved on happier, because of the connection that we had just shared, and, because we knew that if one stranger cared, others care too. It's really important, because of the ripple effect our behaviour has on others. 60% of drivers have their confidence shaken by road rage. Confidence, but not arrogance, is vital to good driving decisions. Studies suggest there is a link between experiencing road rage and having an accident.
Strong negative emotions are usually passed along. Think about the bully in the playground. My daughter has had this happen recently where she invited a girl into her friendship group who had been harshly rejected by her 'friends'. After the gratitude to her new group passed, the girl set about repeating the trouble-making behaviours of the previous girls' group and has shattered 3 solid friendships. Sigh. So if you're ever mean to someone, you can bet they will pass it on sometime soon. It's a destructive ripple effect, but how do you stop it?. Well, if you do get the urge to be rude to someone, reflect on how you've been treated lately. Perhaps you are passing something along? And nowt, we can grow compassion, for ourselves and for that 'bully in the playground'. Same same, only different.
Kindness in Mindful Driving could be as simple as a Thank you wave when someone lets you in. Or a sorry wave when you make a mistake. It could be pausing in the carpark to give that frazzled Mum time to tame the tantruming two year old - without judgement. Not even judging the lolly he is eating because, what you don't know is that they have just come from the hospital. She is exhausted beyond arguing for sensible food choices. Fortunately, she has a good Mindful Driving practice so once she gets in the car she has the tools to calm and centre herself...
like a rock... in the stream... of a screaming kid. :-)
Too often society teaches us with examples of how to anger, hate, compete or judge. All these things make us contract certain muscles in the body and when contracted, our blood and other fluids can't flow properly so the body isn't cleansed properly by the liver, kidneys, lymphatics etc. So toxins build up and cause disease. The muscles stay contracted for a while after the stressful event has ended and it often becomes a normal part of our posture. Deliberately relaxing the muscles and stretching to open the body back up into alignment helps the body and mind be healthier. Toxins also affect mood, food choices, and brain fog. Imagine if we can relax and better align the body, twice a day, driving to and from work, school, shops or wherever you travel.
What a difference we can make for ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.
Click here to receive a Masterclass on how stress and anxiety affect the body, and how to release it.
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Our trademark and logo consist of clear, calm lettering in blue or white. The center image talks about the community coming together, hand in hand around the common values of Kindness, Happiness and Safety, on our roads and throughout our lives. It speaks of focusing the mind to make conscious choices about how to behave and importantly choosing how to feel, by driving thoughts in that direction.
In the Beginning,,,
Do you ever wonder about a problem? You know, a big problem, not a little problem like, what's for dinner, but one that affects the whole community. Like a common community attitude or behaviour that makes you feel sad at your core?
In 2015, after preschool drop-off I was diverted from my usual road to town following an accident on a bend near Murwillumbah, Australia. The next day I heard from 2 Mums who had been early on the scene and had been trying to stop the traffic but kept having the cars swerve in and out around the scene and the injured people on the road. It's so disappointing when people behave like that. It made me think. A lot! And I wondered how we can connect as politely as we do face to face. But it seems the car is seen as a safe place to let out pent up emotions. It's like online bullying, gutless, and anonymous. And the problem affects people around the world. So I pondered about what I could DO about it. I thought, what if we started a movement of drivers who brought a new trend to our roads that revolved around being kind, considerate, and happy. What if we stood up in support of all those drivers out there who are doing their best every day to stick to speed limits, drive in predictable ways and be patient when someone makes a mistake, like when someone goes into your lane and you have to brake to make way. What if we put up signs on dangerous corners to remind people to be in the flow with the road, rather than competing with the bend to see who wins. What if we waved more Thank yous, and got waves when we let people in?
Mindfulness is about being in the flow of the moment considering everything that is going on so it doesn't mean letting in a bunch of cars and holding up the cars behind you. It means taking your turn, when it is your turn, forgiving others of their mistakes, being assertive in decision making, and if you come on the scene of an accident, putting people's lives and well being before your next appointment. This will give you a clearer conscience into the future. After all, guilt can cause upset, irritation, and disease in the body as a form of stress.
Since the accident on the bridge, Mindful Driving (and I) have grown, evolved, and expanded in concept. Expecting to lose my job in March with COVID-19 shut-downs, I prepared myself physically with office equipment, mentally with a positive view on how to spend my time purposefully, and emotionally by getting up at 4am each day to practice mindfulness and meditation. In this positive and expansive place I realised that this was not just a local idea and Facebook page, but one that could help people all over the world to feel happier, kinder and safer. So, with much love, on the 1st of August 2020, this website will be released to the public and course enrolment begins. And soon after, our first online course will be released for anyone who shares our vision, or simply wants to increase the benefits of Mindfulness in their lives.
Thank you for being here. - Joanna, CEO, and Founder, Mindful Driving