Especially now with COVID19 and with the Hurricane Season coming
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994)
Mindfulness education is the purposeful inclusion of mindfulness and mindful meditation principles, theories, and practices into education.
The intentions of mindfulness education are to help students learn:
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Techniques to calm and focus the mind
- Mindful communication
- Applying mindfulness skills to everyday life (iBme, n.d.)
Different studies have shown mindfulness can have a positive impact, including:
- Attention and focus
- Better grades
- More effective emotion regulation
- Better behavior in school: better decision making
- Greater empathy and perspective-taking
- Better social skills
- Reduced test anxiety
- less stress
- Decreased frequency/severity of post traumatic symptoms
- Increases positive moods
- Improves Health and Body Image, increases self-esteem
Researcher Erica Baxter (n.d.) has some helpful suggestions for those looking to implement mindfulness programs in their school:
- Teachers and staff should have training to help them reinforce any lessons taught by professional mindfulness instructors.
- Teachers should show full support for the mindfulness program to encourage their students.
- Parents should be involved and maybe can incorporate some aspects of mindfulness practice at home; a separate course for parents may be a best practice.
Do you want to implement Mindfulness in your school, contact MCA! info@mcacaribbean.com