Fifteen years ago, Eden Kozlowski’s job as a creative director and vice president for an advertising agency in Atlanta left her feeling constantly off balance.
The high-pressure position required her to work 70 to 90 hours a week.
“It was just fast and furious,” she said.
At the suggestion of a friend, Kozlowski attended a weekend meditation and mindfulness retreat led by a meditation expert, author and former psychologist who ended up becoming her mentor.
“It was exactly what I needed,” she said. “It has literally changed my life. If I hadn’t started doing that, I’m sure I would be dead from a heart attack.”
Now Kozlowski of Green has made mindfulness and meditation her way of life, as well as her life’s work.
Kozlowski is founder and chief executive of Just Be LLC, a meditation, mindfulness and wellness company that offers individual, group and corporate classes at the Green YMCA, the Lil Yoga Shop in Akron and other locations throughout the region.
She’s also a regular contributor on the topic of meditation/mindfulness to the Huffington Post, an online news site.
Mindfulness is a way to “detach from the literal junk that comes through your mind” by observing thoughts in a non-judgmental, non-emotional way, Kozlowski said. Those who practice mindfulness concentrate on the present moment, rather than worrying about the past or future.
Mindfulness meditation can be practiced by anyone, she said, regardless of their religious beliefs or faith.
Kozlowski said there’s growing research showing mindfulness and meditation are beneficial for mental and physical health.
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed nearly 50 previous studies and concluded mindfulness meditation programs had moderate evidence for improving anxiety and pain.
In another study, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston University and several other centers found meditation reduced activity in the part of the brain responsible for emotional processing, even when participants weren’t meditating.
“It helps you to pinpoint the root of your challenges,” Kozlowski said.
About six years ago, Jennifer Dolly, 34, of Akron started taking Kozlowski’s mindfulness and meditation classes at the Green YMCA to confront her binge-eating disorder.
The mother of four said the classes, combined with weekly individual therapy sessions with a clinical psychologist, helped her quit using food as her drug.
The mindfulness training “helps me by helping me be aware of my feelings,” she said. “Before, if I wanted to eat something sugary, I would just eat the sugary food. Now I can stop myself and ask ‘Why do I want to eat this sugary food?’ ”
When she does indulge in a sugary treat, she said, “I learned to eat it mindfully. I can have one cookie and eat it mindfully and enjoy it.”
Along with attending weekly classes, Dolly meditates for about five to 15 minutes each day. Over the past six years, she’s lost about 70 pounds and recently earned her nursing degree.
“Had I not met Eden and started therapy in 2008, I don’t know where I would be right now,” she said.
While continuing to offer group classes and individual sessions, Kozlowski is focusing on expanding her corporate class offerings.
According to the World Health Organization, the effects of stress cost U.S. businesses more than $300 billion a year from absenteeism, lost productivity, turnover and medical bills.
Slightly more than half of U.S. workers said they were less productive on the job because of stress, according to the American Psychological Association.
Akron Children’s Hospital offered an hourlong lunchtime mindfulness session with Kozlowski this month as part of its free health and wellness programs for employees.
“I’m always interested in programs to help cut down on our employees’ stress and help them feel relaxed and less anxious,” said Mary Lynne Zahler, the hospital’s wellness manager. “It’s a high stress environment. You’re working with sick kids and stressed-out families. Anything we can do to help with our employees’ relaxation and stress levels, we see it as a good thing for the workplace.”
The mindfulness and meditation skills are “something they can go back and do at their desk or at home,” she said.
Kozlowski explained mindfulness to the group and led them through several exercises.
In one activity, she passed out three raisins and asked everyone to close their eyes and eat one piece at a time, slowly and mindfully.
“I noticed a funneling effect, straight to the taste,” one participant observed afterward.
“I noticed the texture of the raisin as I put it in my mouth,” another said. “I just savored the flavor.”
“Something as simple as eating can become quite an exercise,” Kozlowski said.
During another exercise, she encouraged them to close their eyes and focus on breathing in and out while thinking of a calm, peaceful place. If other thoughts floated into their heads, she told them to envision a trash can to throw them out.
Rochelle Yurick, an employee in accounts payable, said exercises that help clear the mind are beneficial for the workplace.
“If you feel better, you work better,” she said.
Just Be (http://just-be.info) charges $75 per-hour for private sessions. Typical five-week classes on family mindfulness, weight loss, chronic pain management and other topics are $85 per person with a maximum of 20 participants.
A corporate one-hour introduction presentation costs about $350 to $500, with lower rates available for nonprofit or education groups. The charges vary based on the location, duration and number of attendees for weekly classes or retreats at companies.
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or cpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/CherylPowellABJ.