Introduced into medicine thirty years ago by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, mindfulness has become a valuable mainstream influence in medicine, psychology, corporate environments, and education.
Mindfulness is an inherent human capacity. Mindfulness is used in the prayer and meditation practices of many religious and spiritual traditions, from Christian contemplative prayer to Buddhist meditation and yoga. But mindfulness itself is not a religious activity. The brief mindfulness exercises I do with children are completely secular.
Try this quick mindfulness exercise right now:
Sit in a comfortable but upright position. Invite your body to become still. It may help to close your eyes, but you don’t need to.
Notice what your mind is doing right now. If you’re like most people, there are lots of thoughts and images running through. That’s okay.
Gently turn your attention to the sounds around you. Just notice them. Do you hear a bird? Someone’s phone ringing? The hum of a refrigerator? Just notice what you hear, notice how loud it is, if it gets louder or fades. For this moment, try to let go of liking or disliking the sounds. Just experience them.
Do you find your awareness turning to your thinking rather than to the sounds? That’s okay. For this moment, ask your chattering mind to take a back seat. Bring your awareness back to the sounds around you.
When you’re ready, close the exercise by bringing your awareness back to your body and your thoughts. Take a moment to notice how you feel now. Any difference?
I have been certified to teach mindfulness to children by Mindful Schools. I have also been certified by MNDFL to teach mindfulness to the community.
"A calm mind is a mind that is ready to learn."
Please contact me at Lauren.Thompson.Tutor@gmail.com or 646-286-6758.
Please contact me at Lauren.Thompson.Tutor@gmail.com or 646-286-6758.
Let’s talk about how I can give your child — and your family — a fresh
start with homework.
