“Though our children are masters of living in the present moment, they are not masters of their emotion.”
Uncovering Mindfulness
In my book, “Uncovering Mindfulness: In Search Of A Life More Meaningful” — which looks at the North and South, the East and West, the Universal and Particular, the Theory and Practice, the Personal and Professional of Mindfulness — I reflect on such things like so:
“Just look at the child at play, absorbed in what they’re doing, wholly in that moment. They don’t feel the need to put it into language, or acknowledge it as part of their own life narrative — For them it is just Being.” (Chapter Six, Page 78)
Being With Mindfulness
Each and everyone of us is born Being with Mindfulness — but what happens is life gets in the way and stress, anxiety and depression can creep right on in.
The modal onset for depression is now 13 years of age and mental health issues have reached epidemic levels across the globe. So, I am now minded to take my next steps on my Mindfulness journey and write an illustrated book for children to help teach and embed Mindful Practice in the young.
In Uncovering Mindfulness I do look at how important Mindfulness can be in educating and preparing children for their future, but more needs to be said, done, made available and shared.
Where Mindful Practice has been introduced in schools in the UK, the USA, Canada, Venezuela and China for example, findings have included:
- pupils with markedly improved Attention & Concentration levels
- calmer classrooms and happier children, displaying better regulated behaviour and emotional responses
- more collaborative learning, more sharing, less falling out during the school day
- a lowering of cortisol levels in pupils i.e. the stress hormone; &
- improved Maths scores!!
An Inside Track On Important Life Skills
Children who are taught to be Mindful and become more aware of their thoughts and emotions, to pay Attention to the present moment, intentionally and without judgement, are better positioned to succeed both in school and in later life.
They are getting an inside track on developing emotional and social skills for living smarter, happier and healthier lives. They are developing their resourcefulness and building their resilience. They are clearing their minds, focusing their Attention and tapping into their creativity and ingenuity.
A No Brainer?
This is all powerful stuff and a bit of a no brainer, don’t you think? We should be readily investing in the lives of our children, & as early as possible, so they can learn all this and grow-up to be independent, creative, collaborative, resilient, resourceful, productive and happy adults, able to contribute fully both economically and socially.
So, Be The Pond
And you don’t have to be a child to do this — just close your eyes and imagine you are the Pond with lot’s of fish swimming around you.
There are happy fish and sad fish, excited fish and angry fish — that’s my favourite, trying to imagine what makes an angry fish look…well angry — and these fish are all swimming around and around, but there is no need to do anything, beyond observing them amongst the flotsam and jetsam.
An Angry Fish
Of course, this is a metaphor — a perfect metaphor in fact — for teaching children, or even the child within ourselves, to mindfully observe thoughts and emotions without engaging or judging them.
It’s all to easy to forget we are the Pond and to think instead that we are the ‘Angry Fish’. But we are not our emotions, nor are we our anger and to learn to non-identify with our emotions is one of the most powerful ways Mindfulness can change our lives.
So, wouldn’t it be great if we could all start sooner rather than later and if it is a bit later for some of us let’s ensure it’s sooner for our young!
“Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.”
You can follow the continuing journey Uncovering Mindfulness on Twitter @TheMindfulBook & @OfficialUMWPM. Find out more about me at www.themuddpartnership.co.uk and contact me at [email protected].
And as well as checking out the book on Amazon, copies can also be purchased from www.bookboon.com
Tener en Cuenta
Originally published at www.linkedin.com.
Originally published at medium.com