Mindfulness in schools?
Ministers turn to 'mindfulness' training to improve the education system.
In other words: mindfulness may well be coming to a classroom near you.
Mindfulness aims to shut out the buzz; it is a brain-training technique based on using your breath to achieve mental clarity.
It has been discussed in Parliament as a therapy in relation to both unemployment and depression. But it isn’t about zoning out. If anything, it’s about zooming in; paying attention to the present and decluttering the brain to make room for creativity – and in business that means boosting the bottom line.
"Children are naturally good at this," says Sam Petter from Tatty Bumpkin childrens yoga. "Often the relaxation at the end of our yoga stories for babies and children, is the part that the kids love the most. They are by nature, 'in the moment' and its developing this and encouraging it to become a life skill."
For adults, the practice of mindfulness doesnt come so easily, as without practice, we lose the skill, so to that end, mindfulness training has been embraced by organisations as diverse as Google, Transport for London, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the Home Office, by way of an antidote to the relentless pressure and information overload common in many workplaces.
“Uncertainty and instability are the norm in today’s work environment,” says Juliet Adams, director of A Head for Work, who specialises in mindfulness training. “We are living and working in times of constant change. Change is nothing new. What is new is that the pace of change is accelerating and mindfulness trains us to focus on the moment rather than allowing our attention to be hijacked by thoughts about the past or worries about the future.”
Many of us have so much on our minds at any given time that we function quite regularly on autopilot. It’s not uncommon to set off in your car and arrive at your destination only to realise you remember nothing about the journey, or walk into a room to accomplish a task only to forget instantly what it was you wanted to do.
Mindfulness teaches individuals to be present in the moment rather than being distracted about the past or projecting into the future. It doesn’t stop you feeling emotions per se, but it does allow you to deal with them more dispassionately.
The technique draws on the breathing exercises commonly used in meditation and yoga, but is a simple way to access your thoughts and allow them to be heard.
The principles and practice of “mindful leadership” are taught at Harvard, while Oxford University’s dedicated Mindfulness Centre is carrying out research into its clinical and general health benefits.
“Advances in neuroscience and psychology in relation to depression over the past 15 years have coincided with the current economic situation, which has made the condition more prevalent, and mindfulness is a solution that is emerging at just the right time,” says Mark Leonard, who helped establish the Oxford centre and also runs an offshoot, the Mindfulness Exchange, which provides training. “As a culture, we are so prone to overthinking and ruminating that we need to develop a way of stilling our minds.”
The World Health Organisation recently stated that by 2030, mental health issues will form the biggest burden on health care resources including heart conditions and cancer.
The practice of mindfulness has been shown to calm the body down, reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and even reduce the size of grey matter in the amygdala. By contrast, the amount of grey matter in those areas of the brain associated with attention, memory and empathy appears to have increased in those who have practised mindfulness exercises.
It’s not just beneficial to adults; when applied in schools, mindfulness increases both children’s self-esteem and performance in class.
“I used to teach at a highly academic independent girls’ school, and I found that by introducing mindfulness into lessons, it had a profound effect on the students’ anxiety levels, their confidence and their concentration,” says Claire Kelly, a mindfulness practitioner who is now involved with the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), a not-for-profit body that runs an eight-week programme in schools.
“Teaching mindfulness to young people gives them crucial tools to deal with the pressures of life. It’s empowering, and once they know how to do it, they can draw on it whenever they need to.”
Tonbridge School in Kent and Hampton School in Middlesex were the first British schools to include mindfulness in the curriculum for all 13- and 14-year-olds in 2010. Since then, more schools here and abroad have become involved.
“I think mindfulness training should be made available to every child,” says Kelly. “Once you’ve seen the tangible effect it has on behaviour and performance, it makes complete sense to incorporate it into school life and beyond.”
So if you would like to embrace enhanced emotional equilibrium, a greater sense of perspective and a feeling that you can cope with the challenges the year will bring, mindfulness could well be the way forward. You have nothing to lose but your stress.
It's very good at clearing the mind
So what does mindfulness involve?
In a Tatty Bumpkin, multi-sensory, developmental class, relaxation and mindfulness are accessed through simple stretches, breathing and relaxation.
The children act out a story with stretching and props which stimulate the mind and improve concentration. At the end of the session the children lie on the floor and listen to a recap of the session. During this time they breath deeply, fully releasing tension. By observing the story they have just done in their mind whilst relaxing the mind stops racing ahead and focuses on the moment allowing stress to wash away.
A common use of such a session is to alleviate exam stress. As Emily, 11 says
"I love the relaxation in the classes as I learnt breathing to try at home which helps me when I cant sleep."
Mindfulness and relaxation are not magical, spiritual processes (although they can be) but they help us to combat the stress of every day, recharge and be more effective across school, work and our personal lives.
source http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Wow! Amazing Blog Post. Very helpful and informative post. Even we emphasize all to have programs of mindfulness in schools . This will help a lot and is very effective. Our experience says it all.
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