![]() ![]() ![]() Sometimes we incorporate a visualization-like he’s floating on a cloud. ![]() We sit on the floor facing each other, we close our eyes and we ring the chime. “I have a six-year-old son with ADHD,” she says. They were less emotionally reactive and more able to handle daily challenges and choose their behavior.Īs a teacher at The Nantucket New School where every student gets instruction in mindfulness, Allison Johnson has learned first hand what a difference it can make for kids. Saltzman also conducted a study in conjunction with researchers at Stanford University showing that after 8 weeks of mindfulness training, the fourth through sixth graders in the study had documented decreases in anxiety, and improvements in attention. The lovely thing about working one-on-one is you get to tailor what you offer to them.” “I work with kids individually with ADHD, with anxiety, depression, autism, anger management issues. In her private practice, Saltzman, and her Still Quiet Place CDs for Young Children and Teens, teaches mindfulness to children and adolescents with a variety of challenges. They can learn to observe their thoughts and feelings, and the biggest thing for me is they can begin to choose their behaviors.” And it becomes a felt experience of awareness. Then I explain that this still quiet place is always with us-when we’re sad, when we’re angry, excited, happy, frustrated. I invite them to rest in the space between the breaths. “The feeling of the expansion of the in-breath, the stillness between the in-breath and the out-breath. ”We begin by paying attention to breath,” she says. And the benefits are proving to be tremendous.īut how do you explain mindfulness to a five year-old? When she’s teaching mindfulness to children, Amy Saltzman, MD, a holistic physician and mindfulness coach in Menlo Park, California, prefers not to define the word but rather to invite the child to feel the experience first-to find their “still, quiet place.” In the last few years mindfulness has emerged as a way of treating children and adolescents with conditions ranging from ADHD to anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, depression and stress. The ultimate goal is to give you enough distance from disturbing thoughts and emotions to be able to observe them without immediately reacting to them. To expand on that just a little, mindfulness is a meditation practice that begins with paying attention to breathing in order to focus on the here and now-not what might have been or what you’re worried could be. But beyond the buzz, what is it? Jon Kabat-Zinn, the scientist and widely recognized father of contemporary, medically based mindfulness-over 30 years ago he developed a therapeutic meditation practice known as Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)-defines mindfulness simply as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” One mindfulness coach helps kids understand it by having them find their “still, quiet place.” From there, she says, “They can learn to observe their thoughts and feelings, and they can begin to choose their behaviors.”īy now there’s a good chance you’ve heard the term “mindfulness.” It seems to be everywhere-touted as the new yoga, the answer to stress, the alternative to Xanax. It can stop them from having a tantrum if they are frustrated or angry. For example, mindfulness can help them feel less anxious. This gives them time to decide what they want to do about the upsetting feeling, rather than reacting immediately. Then they can learn to notice their feelings, even upsetting ones. The idea is that when they pay attention to breathing out and breathing in, they start to feel calm inside. Mindfulness is a great skill for kids to learn. Scientific studies have proven that mindfulness works. It can be especially helpful for those who are easily upset or impulsive, including kids with ADHD, depression, anxiety or autism. There are many benefits of mindfulness for teenagers, and even young kids. It helps you stay in the present instead of worrying about the past or future. It starts with focusing on your breathing. Mindfulness is a meditation practice that helps you calm down.
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