Encouraging Mindfulness in 2e Children

As children return to school this fall, some schools are beginning to implement mindfulness training into their curriculums. Initial studies, as summarized recently by journalists for the New York Times (Azarian, 2016) and The Atlantic (Deruy, 2016) seem promising. Giving children time to calm themselves, teaching them to take stock of and identify their emotions, and decreasing stress in the classroom by practicing mindfulness can improve learning, attention, and impulse control. Just as importantly, regular mindfulness practice can help children feel less anxious, more self-accepting, and more aware of and in control of their feelings (Garey).

But what is mindfulness, exactly? Simply put, mindfulness is the practice of non-judgmental awareness: being actively and openly aware of your immediate inner and outer sensations. Meditation can be a strong component of a mindfulness practice, but not all meditation is mindfulness focused (Bushak, 2016; Wildmind). For example, some meditation practices focus on transcending emotions or discomfort rather than on simply noticing and accepting them. Others involve focusing on an imagined object. Neither of these types of meditation are mindful. Mindful meditation, or simply mindful practice, focuses on physical sensation and acceptance. The key components to mindfulness practice are that one’s attention to present feelings and sensations is deliberate and non-judgmental.