MiNDFULNESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
I teach mindfulness to young people using the .b and paws .b courses created by the Mindfulness in Schools project.
WHY DO MINDFULNESS (for young people?)
The '.b' course is 8 or 9 weekly sessions for 11-18 year olds which helps us train in certain skills (like attention and body awareness) and attitudes (like being kind to ourselves, and curious about what goes on inside the brain/mind).
It also gives more information about how the human and teenage mind works so we can become more familiar with our own behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
Young people already have first-hand experience of all the physical, hormonal and emotional / mental changes that adolescence brings. This course helps to become clearer and more aware about what is going on in our brains, which
means that we can take back some control around things that are stressful or worrying.
By starting to notice our reactions or thoughts, we get a bit of space around them and so get more freedom - we become more in charge of our next steps, rather than that stressful person or thing controlling us.
The '.b' course involves some home practice, if you can, in order to train different parts of the brain in Mindfulness.
It's not quite the same as homework as it may involve tasting a snack 'mindfully' or listening to a 'beditation' while you fall asleep but as with any new training: the more you practise, the more benefits there will be.
WHY DO MINDFULNESS (for young people?)
The '.b' course is 8 or 9 weekly sessions for 11-18 year olds which helps us train in certain skills (like attention and body awareness) and attitudes (like being kind to ourselves, and curious about what goes on inside the brain/mind).
It also gives more information about how the human and teenage mind works so we can become more familiar with our own behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
Young people already have first-hand experience of all the physical, hormonal and emotional / mental changes that adolescence brings. This course helps to become clearer and more aware about what is going on in our brains, which
means that we can take back some control around things that are stressful or worrying.
By starting to notice our reactions or thoughts, we get a bit of space around them and so get more freedom - we become more in charge of our next steps, rather than that stressful person or thing controlling us.
The '.b' course involves some home practice, if you can, in order to train different parts of the brain in Mindfulness.
It's not quite the same as homework as it may involve tasting a snack 'mindfully' or listening to a 'beditation' while you fall asleep but as with any new training: the more you practise, the more benefits there will be.
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The 'paws b' course for 7-11 year olds is a shorter course (6 sessions) with more of an emphasis on finding out what the brain does, and with shorter practices and activities adapted for younger students.
Like the teenage course, it's a fun and engaging set of lessons with pictures, videos and thought experiments to help us learn. Children who've taken it say it's enjoyable, it has helped them to focus and concentrate, and it also helps them deal with tricky situations and relationships, both at school and at home. |
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Mindfulness in the classroom
Please click on the image to read the article from The Corsham School's blog.
Duncan Hames MP's visited the school to see the sixth Mindfulness lesson I was teaching as part of the 8-week ".b programme" for schools.
The article features a quote from Duncan Hames that can also be found in his weekly column for the Gazette & Herald (11/7/2013 - 'Wonderful to see children learn calming techniques')
Duncan Hames MP's visited the school to see the sixth Mindfulness lesson I was teaching as part of the 8-week ".b programme" for schools.
The article features a quote from Duncan Hames that can also be found in his weekly column for the Gazette & Herald (11/7/2013 - 'Wonderful to see children learn calming techniques')
Whole-School Mindfulness
The Corsham School in Wiltshire adopted a 'Mindfulness Strategy' for staff and students in March 2014.
If you click on the picture to the right, there's an article I wrote for a SSAT (The School's Network) publication in December 2014, entitled 'Why we have a Mindfulness Strategy at The Corsham School'. Please click on the picture below to find a presentation I gave on this at Leeds University in April 2014. Here you'll find information on:
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