Common sense tells us that movement and nutrition should be top priorities for creating a healthy matrix-an environment that encourages wellness and growth, but less-known ‘mindfulness’ is a huge health component that is finally coming out of the closet. The more I practice mindfulness techniques myself and see the difference they make in my life, the more I feel a strong survival instinct to teach kids what I’m learning. There’s no reason for the next generation to wait until they are forty years old to learn simple tools promoting happier and healthier lives, right?!
To put it most simply, mindfulness teaches us how to pay attention. How many times have you asked your students or kids with an impatient tone to pay attention? Have you ever taught them how to pay attention? One of the best definitions of mindfulness comes from Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
“Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment.”
This short PBS video features interviews with Jon Kabit-Zinn and Tim Ryan, congressman (D-Ohio) and author of A Mindful Nation. It is a great intro to mindfulness and shows an example of it being taught in a West Baltimore School.
With the rising rates of childhood depression, anxiety, and suicide, what brings me such hope is that mindfulness is finally going mainstream and is starting to be taught in many of the social-emotional learning curriculums in the US. To look at it from another angle: with 50% of new teachers leaving the profession after five years, the addition of mindfulness curriculums in schools could not have come soon enough (and maybe if parents are required to take the mindfulness curriculum as well, it would help keep teachers even longer-lol)!
The MindUp Program, created by The Hawn Foundation (founder Goldie Hawn), is a fabulous and inexpensive program that even schools without extra money in their budgets can implement.
I ordered the MindUp 3rd-5th grade curriculum recently on Amazon and was truly impressed. The main goal of the MindUp curriculum is creating “The Optimistic Classroom”. Lesson plans go into how our brains work, being mindful of our senses, perspective taking, appreciating happy experiences, choosing optimism, expressing gratitude, and how to take action mindfully.
The Core Practice from MindUp is essentially “Pause. Listen. Breathe.” It helps students quiet their mind and get ready to learn and is used during transitions throughout the school day. It puts students in control of their of own physical and mental energy. Here is a short summary of The Core Practice:
The teacher signals when to start the practice with a resonant instrument such as a bell or xylophone. Students close their eyes or look down and pay close attention to their breathing. They feel the breath in their belly, chest, and nose with their body comfortable and relaxed. When they notice their minds thinking of other things, they gently bring attention back to their breath. After they can no longer hear a second ‘ding’ from the instrument, they slowly open their eyes, but remain still and quiet.
As you can guess, this would be a perfect core practice for us all! I’d love to hear soothing ‘dings’ throughout the day to remind me to relax, breath, and smile :) If your school doesn’t already include mindfulness techniques in their social-emotional learning curriculum, consider buying the MindUp books and teaching some of the lesson plans at your Wellness Club meetings, as a presentation for your Wellness Fair, in the classroom, in a yoga class, or at home.
Also, Goldie Hawn wrote a great book called 10 Mindful Minutes that is packed with mindfulness activities that the whole family can do together. My local library had it and its highly recommended! She also did an excellent TED talk with Dan Siegel about the power of mindfulness to help children focus, battle stress and control negative emotions. Go Goldie!
Matrix Wellness Club 