Let's Talk Mindfulness!
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.
Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rethinking the past or imagining the future.
What are the benefits of Mindfulness?
Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness, even for just a few weeks, can bring a variety of physical, psychological, and social benefits.
Mindfulness is good for our minds and increases positive emotions while reducing negative emotions and stress.
Mindfulness changes our brains: Research has found that it increases density of grey matter in brain regions linked to learning, memory, emotion regulation, and empathy.
Mindfulness helps us focus, improves our memory, attention skills, and decision-making.
Mindfulness allows compassion and understanding with others as well as self – compassion.
Mindfulness in the classroom reduces behaviour problems, aggression, anxiety, stress and low mood among students, and improves their happiness levels, self-regulation, and ability to pay attention. life.
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A little bit about me and my work.
My name is Christine from Worthy of Wellbeing and I am an accredited Creative Mindfulness Practitioner. I am very passionate about the promotion of positive Mental Health and Wellbeing and creating opportunities to help children develop skills to look after their minds, bodies and emotions.
I completed my training with Louise Shanagher, Child Therapist, Psychology lecturer, Mindfulness teacher and Creative Mindfulness course developer. Louise has been working with Primary schools for many years and has worked very hard to create a wonderful curriculum which can be adapted to link with the Irish Primary Schools SPHE curriculum. The course is accredited by the International Mindfulness and Meditation Alliance (IMMA) and Continuing Professional Development standards (CPD).
The Creative Mindfulness programme I offer schools are all taught in a secular way, outside any spiritual context, with all practices supported by scientific research. I work closely with the best practice guidance for Primary schools and all classes support the implementation of the Wellbeing Promotion Process with particular emphasis on the SPHE strands of “myself” and “myself and others”.
Over the past number of years, there has been more focus on the importance of providing suitable wellbeing programmes in schools, with the Dept. Of Education and Skills highlighting the wonderful opportunity schools are in to promote wellbeing and social and emotional learning. It is really believed that students flourish when there is a whole school approach.
Introducing Creative Mindfulness into the Classroom
There are many ways to introduce Creative Mindfulness into the school. I would love to have the opportunity to have a chat with you about the work I do and how I can introduce Creative Mindfulness into your school. We could schedule a suitable day and time to have a phone call to chat more about the programme. You can schedule that in here:
In the meantime, the following are examples of how I love to introduce Creative Mindfulness holistically to benefit your students.
Students:
The “Creative Mindfulness Kids Method” introduces Mindfulness to children in fun and creative ways. The method promotes positive mental health and wellbeing for children and is linked with the SPHE Curriculum (self, self and others). Children learn how to calm and relax their minds, to focus and pay attention, to understand and express their thoughts and feelings and cultivate kindness for themselves and others through creativity, art, crafts, stories, meditations, visualisations and discussion.
The “Mindful Heart Curriculum” is made up of 10 complete lessons which can be adapted to teach children ages 4-12 years. The curriculum has been published by Outside the Box publishers and is currently being used in many schools in the country.
These programmes can be delivered over a course of 8 ,10 or 12 weeks, or as individually themed workshops/once off classes, depending on your need or preference. They can also be extended past the 12-week stage if that is something you would like as a school.
Teachers:
Part of my training focused on the importance of looking after our own personal practice so I also deliver hour-long workshops for teachers (which can be included in CPD and Croke Park Hours) where I share some practices and some of the benefits Mindfulness can have. This can help teachers bring some of the practices into the classroom too.
Parents and Guardians:
It is so beneficial to have a whole school/family approach to positive wellbeing so offering a one-hour workshop or my 8 week mindful parenting programme is a wonderful way to help them understand what the children have been doing at school, sharing them at home also and an opportunity for them as parents/guardians to develop some practices to help settle their busy minds too.
If you have any questions, you can contact me by clicking the button below.
My Mindfulness Programme:
I will be running regular mindfulness programmes for children of all ages from the month of March 2022. There will be a class of between 10 - 12 students and the classes will be held in different communities in county Roscommon. It will consist of a 60-minute session once a week!
The Programme topics that will be covered are:
Calming the mind
Worry
Compassion
Kindness
Self-acceptance
Mindful listening
Monkey Mind
Emotions
Friendship
Self-love
In these Mindfulness sessions the aim is to incorporate breathwork, meditations/visualisations, stories, creative activities such as writing, drawing and painting.
The price of this programme will vary depending on the length of the programme.
For more information on these programmes please click the link below.