Ben Bilefield (Geography, 2018) created ‘Zen with Ben’ as a series of informal weekly mindfulness sessions at Regent’s in 2019 when he became a JCR Welfare Officer.  Passionate about bringing guided meditation to those who might struggle to focus and meditate alone, Ben hoped to create a safe, open space for students to honestly share their feelings and improve their mental health by developing their mindfulness practice. The popularity and success of the sessions at Regent’s led Ben to develop the series further and expand them across ten Oxford colleges.

After graduating, Ben joined the Civil Service Fast Stream, where he used his experiences from Regent’s and Oxford to start similar mindfulness sessions for his team. Since then, ‘Zen with Ben’ has grown organically through word-of-mouth recommendations, reaching over 1,500 civil servants across the UK in over 25 Government departments, mostly outside of London.

Each ‘Zen with Ben’ session focuses on different themes, such as breath or kindness, with Ben guiding the participants through meditation, leaving room for friendly chats between practices. Taking into account varying experience levels, Ben makes sure his sessions are accessible to both meditation newbies and seasoned yogis.

Before Christmas, Ben won the Civil Service Award for Developing and Supporting People for ‘Zen with Ben’. Ben says, ‘It was an honour to win one of 12 Civil Service Awards out of over 2,000 nominations… Creating a community where we can pause and reflect together has been incredibly rewarding.’

A highly respected and prestigious cross-government programme, the Civil Service Awards recognise and celebrate the wealth of inspirational individuals and innovative projects across over 500,000 civil servants. For the past 19 years, these unique and empowering awards have helped to spread best practice right across government, sharing innovation, learning and leadership.

Earlier this February, Ben visited Buckingham Palace and met with HRH King Charles III, in recognition of Zen with Ben! The King expressed his own passion for yoga and the value of taking time out.

Ben says that the feedback about ‘Zen with Ben’ has been inspiring – especially from those who’ve never dipped their toes into meditation before, often leaving surprised by how quickly they can chill out, and find their zen, in just half an hour. ‘Some have described it as a mini-escape from the chaos of work and life. A few even vouch for it as a must-try for those who don’t have extra time to find their grounding outside of work.’

Ben’s advice to someone who wants to start meditation is, ‘The Golden Rule – give it a go! The hardest part of meditation is deciding to sit down. If you’re looking for more structured guidance, you could try apps like Headspace, Calm or Insight Timer – all fantastic entry points.’

____

With many thanks to Ben for his contributions.