My mind goes to many places when I’m lying on a yoga mat.
I may be able to shut my computer down for the day at 5 p.m., but my brain doesn’t have an off switch. So, during yoga classes, when everyone else is meditating peacefully on their mats, my mind subconsciously attempts to recreate my Outlook inbox from memory, just to remind me of all the emails I didn’t have time to respond to earlier that day.
As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never been a good yogi, and my interest in practicing slowly dwindled the louder my thoughts seemed to become whenever I walked into a yoga studio.
Then, I got an invitation from MGM Resorts International I couldn’t pass up—one that would help a community in need—and I found myself in a softly lit room somewhere in downtown Chicago, where the gentle hum of ambient music intertwined with soothing cues from a local yoga instructor.
This was my Mindful Matters Series experience, and here’s how MGM Resorts International used the series to make a difference—for me, for meeting and event planners across the country and, most importantly, for the Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children.
What Is MGM Resorts International’s Mindful Matters Series?
In partnership with Fit City Adventures, a corporate wellness and lifestyle concierge company, MGM Resorts International launched the Mindful Matters Series, “a collection of wellness activities designed to rejuvenate and refresh professionals in the meetings and conventions industry.”
The series featured 11 events across the U.S. that took place in cities including Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle and more.
Megan Archambeault, VP of sales at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, had already attended two of the series’ events by the time I met her at the Chicago edition, and while every city experienced something different, Archambeault said, “They’ve all been incredible.”
Each Mindful Matters Series event offered guests a unique activity, such as puppy yoga, a sound bath meditation or tips and tricks for dealing with burnout. The goal was to foster mindfulness in today’s fast-paced society—one that moves even faster for meeting and event planners, who have consistently ranked near the top of the list of the most stressful jobs in the world.
“It’s one of our core beliefs [at MGM Resorts International] to be ‘Focused on What Matters,’” Archambeault said. “In the hospitality industry specifically, we work so hard for so many hours. We all picked a business that’s 24/7, and I think taking a moment for ourselves to focus on wellness is so important.”
This joint initiative between MGM Resorts International and Fit City Adventures served as an opportunity to celebrate and connect with MGM Resorts’ meetings and conventions clients across the U.S. as part of the company’s broader commitment to being “Focused on What Matters,” as Archambeault said—and nothing matters more than health, happiness and helping others.
[Related: MGM Resorts Donates $20k to Save The Music Foundation Through Candlelight Concerts]
How Did the Mindful Matters Series Make a Difference?
In late October, MGM Resorts International made a $20,000 donation to the Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, “an innovative residential campus that provides critical support to children who are victims of sex trafficking, helping them transition from survivors to thriving members of the community.”
“The Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is an incredible ranch in Boulder City, Nevada. My parents actually live out there, so I’ve volunteered there a ton of times,” Archambeault said. “They have a human trafficking center that they’re working on, which is a problem in our country right now. But they also foster teenagers who have nowhere to go. It’s an incredible place to be. They have a chapel right on property. It’s just this beautiful, quaint little area where you can feel protected, and for us to be able to give back, and working for a company that’s investing in something like this, it’s pretty incredible.”
The $20,000 donation the Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children received was a direct result of MGM Resorts’ 11 Mindful Matters Series events across the country.
“Our goal with the Mindful Matters Series was to give our clients meaningful experiences that not only support their well-being but also contribute to the betterment of our community,” said Stephanie Glanzer, chief sales officer and senior vice president at MGM Resorts, in a statement. “We are proud of the success of the series and that we are able to support the Healing Center by St. Jude’s Ranch for Children and the incredible work they’ll do.”
MGM Resorts International previously contributed $200,000 toward a capital campaign to build the Healing Center. The company is committed to combatting human trafficking within its properties and the surrounding communities.
[Related: The Positives of Puppy Love at Events]
The Mindful Matters Series in Chicago: Did Someone Say, ‘Downward Dog’?
When I first learned about MGM Resorts International’s Mindful Matters Series, I knew right away that if I had the opportunity to be a part of something like that, I’d take advantage of it—even if it meant I had to fight my subconscious mind through another yoga session.
(Disclaimer: I have nothing against yoga, really! But when you have a mind like mine, it can be difficult to experience the peacefulness yoga is meant to bring.)
The MGM Resorts International team greeted me at the door with smiles and a name tag, and after our hello’s, my attention immediately shifted to a corner in the back of the room where four little puppies were tumbling into the laps of other attendees. (Shockingly, and sadly, I did not go home with all four of them.)
Throughout the rest of the room, mats were spread out in a semi-circle across the tile floor, each occupied by an attendee in deep concentration. I picked one toward the back and took a seat, and when one of my new puppy friends plopped down next to me, my feelings toward yoga already started shifting.
A cloud of lavender-scented air shielded me from the stench of my beat-up gym shoes next to my mat, and with my hair in a tangled mess and muscles that hadn’t been stretched in far too long, I was ready to give yoga another shot.
As we were guided through poses and meditations, I quickly noticed the annoying thoughts that typically distract me during yoga sessions weren’t bothering me like they usually do. Instead, I was far more focused on the sound of tiny paws padding across the floor, little tongues licking my face and my shoes going missing.
Stretching into a downward dog, I was met not just with the soothing flow of yoga practice, but with a series of playful interruptions like puppies wiggling between my legs, nibbling on my shoelaces and running circles at my feet.
Somehow, in that not-so-tranquil sanctuary, relaxation and joy blended effortlessly in a perfect harmony of peaceful poses and puppy cuddles—the secret formula I needed to silence my stressful thoughts.
For the first time in my life, I made it through an entire yoga session without having a mini anxiety attack on my mat. As silly as it may be, that experience made me realize it is possible to turn my mind off and focus on my personal well-being, too.
The Mindful Matters Series made a big difference for a lot of people. It also made lots of little differences for everyone who participated—me included.
That’s the power of being “Focused on What Matters.”
Read about more ways people are "Making A Difference" in the meetings industry.
