What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is training your attention: becoming more aware of what is really happening, instead of getting stuck in what has been or what might come. You learn to look at your experience with curiosity and without judgement. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of secular mindfulness, called this “being alive and knowing it”.
It is about being present in the current moment: with your breath, your body, your emotions and your daily activities. By training that awareness, you can respond more calmly and deliberately to what comes your way.
Why mindfulness in education?
Mindfulness lends itself well to the classroom, with effects on both the individual student and the group. It is no miracle cure, but the effects below are supported by research into the brain. Research indicates that a programme of a few weeks can already make a noticeable difference. We train the brain like you train a muscle: one loose exercise is not enough. That is why I work with a build-up programme of ten lessons, with exercises for at home, so students truly make it their own.
What it can deliver for the individual student
- Better attention and concentration — in class, with homework and tests.
- Less stress and tension.
- Better emotion regulation: recognising emotions sooner and responding to them more calmly.
- More self-confidence: an open, non-judgemental view of yourself, which can help with fear of failure.
- A positive effect on sleep.
- Support with busyness and concentration difficulties.
What it can deliver for the group
A group of teenagers has its own dynamic. Because students react less impulsively and more from a place of calm, and through the open, non-judgemental attention that mindfulness trains, there is more room for empathy and a more pleasant classroom climate. No guarantee, but skills that benefit the group process.
What mindfulness is not
- Not a breathing exercise or yoga. Breath is one of the things we direct attention to; we do no physical exercises.
- Not religious or spiritual. The curriculum is secular.
- Not emptying your head. You learn to observe your thoughts and relate to them differently; they may come and go.
- Not the same as relaxing. You train the skill of noticing what is going on in your head and body, so you can respond from a place of calm.
Evidence base
- Mindfulness in Schools Project — the evidence base: mindfulnessinschools.org/the-evidence-base/
- [additional NL sources after verification]