Kids aren’t known to sit still, nor are they known to sit in silence, but after nine months of training, Roxane Thomas’ Grade 1 and 2 students revel in the quiet stillness of their weekly mindfulness sessions.
Since September, the class from École Desrochers has set aside one hour each week to practice mindfulness with Patrick Mooney and Lynda Shore from Community Outreach Services.
When the sessions began, the students couldn’t even last a minute without shifting around on their cushions, giggling or chatting. But nine months later, they savour the experience.
They get into their most comfortable cross-legged positions, some with their hands on their knees, others with them by their sides or in their laps, and at the sound of a gong, they close their eyes and take a deep breath.
During their last mindfulness session of the school year, the students sat in silence for a full eight minutes, then rose from their seated positions and silently walked around the circle of cushions for two more minutes.
As they walked, Mooney quietly instructed the students.
“What we’re trying to pay attention to,” he said, “is the feel of your foot touching the floor and then the feel of your foot coming off the floor.
“Pay attention to that sensation.”
Mindfulness is a meditative practice that develops greater awareness of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. It teaches you how to experience the moment, rather than worrying about what has happened or might happen in the future.
“Practicing mindfulness is no different for an adult or a child,” said Mooney, explaining we all have busy minds. “Just like our blood circulates, our mind thinks. It’s impossible to stop thinking, but it’s what you do with those thoughts—we’re not trying to throw those thoughts away, we’re trying to watch those thoughts without saying they’re good or bad.”
As well as helping with behavioural issues, recent studies have shown that mindfulness helps children develop cognitive and performance skills, helping them to focus in class.
Because of that, it is growing with popularity in schools around the world, with California leading the way in North America.
“Canada is a little behind,” said Shore, but she noted that a few Edmonton schools have recently implemented mindfulness sessions in their classes and École Desrochers has invited her and Mooney back next year to teach the Grade 1 and 2 students, as well as the Grade 3s.
“It’s made a huge difference,” said Thomas, reflecting on the changes she’s seen in her students over the past nine months. “I quickly realized it was beneficial to everyone.”
As well as practicing the techniques with the students during the sessions once a week, Thomas said she has also used them in the classroom when the students are having difficulty concentrating.
“It’s definitely been very good for learning,” she said. “We just do it for one or two minutes when everyone is excited and they calm down.”
Shore said mindfulness teaches students self-control, showing them that they can choose how they react to things, rather than being impulsive.
“That’s liberating for the kids,” she said.
To learn more about mindfulness in schools, check out www.mindfulschools.org. Mindful Schools provides online courses for adults, teaching them how to utilize mindfulness tools with youth.
Nicole Veerman
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