What do David Attenborough and Mindfulness Have in Common?

What do David Attenborough and Mindfulness have in common? Find out in this two minute video with our Senior Facilitator, Paul Gapper.

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We are leading a movement to create happy, empowered and productive workplaces.

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Watch the session below

So what does everyone think of when they think ‘David Attenborough’?

What did you say? He bothers gorillas, yes, in his little t-shirt! In fact, he sits in the middle of them with a hand – well, a claw going over the top, going: “Do you notice, the mother is just about to-“ No matter what is happening, if it’s a lovely butterfly, or if it’s a snake, or an orangutan, he just notices. He just notices his experience. He doesn’t interfere with it, he doesn’t try and kill the snakes and find the ice cream, he just notices.

When we do this exercise, all I need you to do is get ‘David Attenborough mind’ and just notice your experience. That’s all you have to do, and as soon as you do that, you’ve got it right. You don’t have to empty your mind; you just have to notice. I’m gonna sit during this – this is the great thing about being a mindfulness teacher, you get to sit a lot. And you can either join me while we do this exercise or you can just think about other things: it’s absolutely up to you whether you join in or not. While I’m doing it I’m going to shut my eyes – again, you don’t have to shut your eyes. You can have your eyes open and perhaps just fix them on the table in front of you.

First off, all I need you to do is just notice the sounds inside and outside the room.

What we wanna do is listen, really listen – that’s what you were doing. So all you have to do with mindfulness is notice. Notice the physical signs of it, and be with it. Just stay with it: it will change.

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Paul is a Masters qualified trainer with experience in interpersonal skills, work skills and management training. He has worked in the public, private and voluntary sectors for over fifteen years. Paul has a Distinction in the Institute of Personnel Development Training Certificate and the teacher-training certificate for Mindfulness-Based Approaches from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.

He is Senior Facilitator at Happy, and you can join him for an Introduction to Mindfulness session at Happy.

Learn the 10 core principles to create a happy and productive workplace in Henry Stewart's book, The Happy Manifesto.

Hi, we are Happy

We help organisations create happy, productive workplaces, where people feel trusted, work to their strengths and are confident with their IT software.

We want everyone to find joy in at least 80% of their work, everyday.

Our workplace solutions include:
– Workplace consultancy
– Leadership and personal development programmes
– Government-funded management apprenticeships
– AI and Excel training

And much more. Get in touch with our friendly team to discuss your current challenge and find out how we can help you.

Claire Lickman

Claire is Head of Marketing at Happy. She has worked at Happy since 2016, and is responsible for Happy’s marketing strategy, website, social media and more. Claire first heard about Happy in 2012 when she attended a mix of IT and personal development courses. These courses were life-changing and she has been a fan of Happy ever since. She has a personal blog at lecari.co.uk.

Next Conference: 2025 Happy Workplaces Conference

Our Happy Workplaces Conference is our biggest event of the year, and we’d love for you to join us on Thursday 12th June!

This year’s event will be held in London, venue TBC. We may also offer a hybrid option for people to join us online simultaneously — do let us know if you are interested in joining online and we can add you to the waiting list.

As always, our next conference will be filled with interaction, discussion and space for reflection.

Book now and get our special half-price Early Bird rate — just use discount code Happy2025.

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The Happy Manifesto

Outline the 10 core principles for a happy workplace. It has since helped thousands of leaders build trust-driven, empowered teams.

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The Happy Manifesto

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Want more ideas for creating happy, productive workplaces?

Sign up for our Happy Manifesto newsletter and discover fresh ways to ignite joy and productivity at work. Get expert tips, insights, and ideas that challenge the norm—straight to your inbox. Join our movement and start your journey for a trust-based, values-led organisation.