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Mindfulness in Education

Mindfulness in Education

Back again bloggers, recent discussion and activities in University have led me to blog about Mindfulness. How important is Mindfulness and what can children take from it? 
Mindfulness is the art of being. Imagine you are awake, have energy and could do something, at least plan or think, but instead decide to just be there – in contact with the environment, maybe with other people, and yourself. You are ready to receive, open yourself to what is currently happening, and let it affect you. You do not change anything but allow change to take place (Rechschaffen and Kabat-Zinn, 2014, p.31). I believe that mindfulness is an escape, it allows children and adults to escape into a peaceful, calming environment for a few moments; where at any other point in the day they may not be able to do that. Both Children and adults can face extremely busy/tough days and the practice of mindfulness can allow them to free up their mind space and to forget about their worries or their busy schedules and to be at one with themselves and their surroundings. 
Human beings are tuned for experiences of otherness. The eyes, the skin the tongue, ears and nostrils - all are gates where our body receives the nourishment of otherness. (Abrams, 1996, p.ix). As humans we find it difficult to just stop and to take a moment to embrace our surroundings and to use our senses to their full potential, that is the beauty of mindfulness, it can be carried out anywhere, anytime and it can change a person’s outlook on their whole day. Mindfulness gives us opportunities to home in on things, the sound of the wind or the smell of the grass or to even watch the way that leaves dance in the breeze. It connects us with our surroundings and gives the mind tranquility. 
Mindfulness can be performed just about anywhere, but one place I have found it to be most effective is in an outdoor setting or in a woodland. Practicing mindfulness in an outdoor environment can allow children to connect with nature and the open space allows then to completely clear their mind. 
Mindful Walking | Cosmic Kids Zen Den – Mindfulness for kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P3Deuv8tbc
Above is a useful video and puts mindfulness into perspective. Cosmic Kids Zen Den is a useful resource for practitioners that can innovate new ideas for children. Take note on how Jamie takes moment to listen to her body: how her heart beats, how she breathes and how she feels and in addition to that’s listens to her environment: The birds in the trees, the leaves beneath her feet, even the cars in the distance. Then listen to how she feels once she has completed her exercise. 
Popular media is reporting that yoga and meditation are used by members of the United States Marines and National Football League to achieve the focus they need to improve their performance (Hurley, 2014; Roenigk, 2013). This suggests that Mindfulness is being used across the board in all different areas other than education which also suggests that Mindfulness has significant value and use. There is an ever-growing body of evidence that suggests the practise of mindfulness improves young people’s behaviour, time on task, focus and self-regulation. 
I believe that this is solely the reason why we should include mindfulness in pedagogy and within education as a whole. From personal experience I know the feelings and the self-improvement that comes with mindfulness. By teaching and influencing this to children in a primary educational setting can help children with everyday challenges that they may face and can improve on their attainability. Mindfulness can then be practiced and carried out through the rest of their lives if they chose to do so, then as practitioners we have provided them with a lifelong skill that can help them with challenges to come. 

Reference List

-  Abrams, D. (1996). The spell of the sensuous. Pantheon, New York.
-      Rechtschaffen, D. (2014). The way of mindful education: Cultivating well-being in teachers and students. WW Norton & Company.
-      Hurley, D. (2014, January 14). Breathing in vs. spacing out. New York Times. [Acessed: 5/12/2018] from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/magazine/breathing-in-vs-spacing-out.html?_r=0
-      Mindful Walking | Cosmic Kids Zen Den – Mindfulness for kids [accessed on: 5/12/2018] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P3Deuv8tbc

-      Roenigk, A. (2013, August 21). Seattle Seahawks use unusual techniques in practice. ESPN. [Acessed: 5/12/2018] from http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9581925/seattle-seahawks-use-unusual-techniques-practice-espn-magazine

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