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Mindfulness in Schools Programme

Mindfulness4you you offers specialised services for schools to help build a culture of mindfulness equality and well-being. We take a bespoke approach to create a programme that addresses the unique needs of your school. We provide a whole school approach that supports the well-being of both staff and pupils and can profoundly impact the learning environment for all the individuals’ adults and children within it.

We train teachers to deliver our curricula which ensures that teachers are mindfulness practitioners and experience the benefits themselves before they share the knowledge with their pupils.

As well as teacher training, we can offer direct teaching with the pupils:

• • • Whole class.
    • Small groups.
    • One to one.
      

Workshops:

• • • Mindfule Clay Immersion
    • Mindful Found Art Immersion
    • Mindful Drumming

The 8 Week MBSR Mindfulness Course

We call the kind of moment to moment awareness invoked by tuning into your breath and to every other aspect of your life MINDFULNESS. It is developed by purposefully paying attention in a non-judgmental way, to what is going on in your body and mind, and in the world around us. Staying in touch in this way from one moment to the next, this shift in awareness, may lead to seeing things somewhat differently, perhaps to feeling less stuck, or to a sense of having more options, more strength and more confidence in your possibilities, more wisdom…

The course aims to assist you in taking better care of yourself and in getting the most out of living. The majority of people completing the programme report lasting physical and psychological benefits including:

• • • an increased ability to relax
    • greater energy and enthusiasm for life
    • heightened self-confidence
    • an increased ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful situations.

The aim of the programme is to learn new ways to handle challenging physical sensations, feelings, moods or social interactions.

What does the course involve?

Mindfulness courses are usually run over 8 weekly sessions. A day of mindfulness practice is included when participants have the opportunity to experience a whole day of practice to notice the effects of this. A trained mindfulness instructor, who teaches the meditation practices and supports the participants’ learning, runs each course and group discussions are an important part of this process. To get the most out of coming to the class requires some work on your part and each participant is required to undertake a small amount of practice each day between classes. It requires a strong commitment to work on yourself through a gentle daily discipline of meditation and relaxation. Making the time commitment and the personal exploration involved is likely to be pleasurable and empowering as well.

Who is the course for?

All of us! The programme is known to benefit people with a range of problems of both a physical and a psychological nature, but it is not necessary to have a specific health problem to find it helpful. We all have times in our lives when we experience difficulty, stress and struggle and for some of us this is our daily experience. The problem or illness itself may not change but the way we relate to and cope with the difficulty may shift, making it all feel easier. Developing greater awareness can open us to be able to change how we approach our experiences – taking more pleasure in the good things and dealing more effectively with the difficulties. We can see how often we are missing the moments of our lives! We can see how our habitual and reflex reactions to events often add layers of difficulty for us on top of the original problem!

The course is therefore potentially open to any of us who are at a point in our lives where we wish to, and are ready, to look deeply at ourselves.

People do also come to mindfulness courses to gain skills in dealing with particular conditions. We have worked with people with a range of problems including:

• • • Heart disease
    • Chronic pain
    • High blood pressure
    • Headaches
    • Anxiety and panic
    • Depression
    • Sleep disturbance
    • Fatigue
    • Cancer and other long term illnesses

Summary of the course?

• The aim of the course is to learn new ways to handle our moods and emotions.
• It teaches us to take better care of ourselves so that we are able to live our lives in a fuller and healthier way.
• It promotes a way of being that helps us tackle life problems – physical, mental, social and emotional.
• The focus of the mindfulness practice is to learn to be aware of the small changes in the physical sensations in your body; what is happening in the world around you (using your physical senses) and your thoughts, emotions and moods.
• The course programme encourages us to develop the skill of being aware of our experiences (good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant) from moment to moment -so that we can learn to respond more skilfully to situations rather than simply reacting automatically.
• Overall, the course is often helpful in dealing with an ongoing difficulty – the problem may not change but the way we can  learn to relate to it differently.

Once you have completed the course you will be able to attend regular events for mindfulness course graduates that will help you to keep the process going.

Mindfulness in the Community

Are you looking for ways to reduce stress and improve your well-being ? Join our mindfulness programme for community groups.

Our programme is designed to help participants cultivate a greater sense of awareness and presence through guided meditation, breathing exercises, and other mindful practises.

Through this programme, you will learn how to observe your thoughts and feelings with curiosity and openness, and develop a greatest sense of inner calm and clarity.

Our programme is open to all members of the community, regardless of your experience with mindfulness. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced practitioner, our programme will provide you with the tools and support you need to cultivate mindfulness in your daily life.

In addition to the mindfulness practises, our programme also includes group discussions, journaling exercises, and other activities that will help you deepen your understanding of mindfulness and its benefits.

Please inquire about our mindfulness programme for your community and take the first steps towards greater well-being!

Contact us to learn more.

Mindful Drumming

Mindfulness is a mental state in which you are totally focused on the present moment. It offers clarity and sharpness of thought that provides, at the very least, a temporary reduction in stress. This mental exercise enables you to achieve a greater emotional balance. What’s more, experts have found that mindfulness can even reduce physical pain and mental depression.

Therapeutic rhythm and mindfulness, represents ways of getting into a state of mindfulness through group drumming or other forms of rhythmic musical expression. The goal is to sharpen your consciousness and strengthen your sense of social connection by incorporating drumming skills into a group dynamic. It requires concentration, focus and awareness of others – all of which are fundamental capabilities for strong mental health. Not only do you stand to gain these valuable benefits, but group drumming is fun!

The concept involves fully cultivating your awareness in the present moment with your focus completely in the now, you begin to realise that the present moment is the only place where reality unfolds.  This helps you avoid dwelling in thoughts about the past or future that don’t serve a purpose. As long as you are sharing in the rhythm, your mind will stay in the here and now. It’s a challenge, there is no time for stress or anxiety. There is only your sharp focus on the rhythm to maintain. Your only responsibility is to add to the collective sound of those within your new and present social network.

© Dr Pamela Seraphine

Health Benefits of Meditative Drumming

Mindful Clay Immersion

When a person makes art they can experience a state of immersion, flow, focus and calm, accessing an inner witness, and being absorbed in present moment experience (Rapport and Kalmanowitx,2014).

Some mindfulness practices emphasise focus, such as awareness of breath. This can enhance the capacity of the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, associated with calm rest and repair, to bring the body back to a homeostatic state (Smallely, 2010).

In making art, one may enter this state of focus. Clay therapy clients report that they find the process relaxing and calming. In both mindfulness and artmaking, there is an orientation away from the habitual thinking mind, towards heightened feeling and sensing. It may be hypothesised that both processes promote the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

What is this art making process?

I am here and I decide to make something with my art materials. I either visualise an image or allow something to spontaneously emerge. My hands make contact with the materials. My body moves. There is an activation of my imagination and my senses. An external form, outside me, manifests. There is a constant change as the creation evolves. The object, as it is created, shifts, transforms, is added to; possibly destroyed. There is something in observing this motion and fluidity that can be likened to the state of impermanence and that is also known through mindful practice.

Just being alive means being in a continual state of flux. We, too, evolve, we go throihg a series of changes and transformations to which it is difficult to affix an exact beginning or an exact end.” (Jon Kabat Zinn, 1990)

What starts off as one thing, may end up totally different. We engage our sense; visualizing, touching, feeling, moving and hearing. There are other mindful qualities that are particularly relevant to clay therapy such as the attitude of non-judgement. A non-judgemental attitude is cultivated in clay therapy by informing the client that the finished outcome will not be judged, and that the intention of the art is not an easthetic one. The clay is a medium for the clients to express their feelings and experiences. This models a non-judgemental attitude, which can help the client relate to other views they may have in this way. The art is valued along with all parts of the experience, and together there is an acceptance of whatever is externalised through the art.

Sometimes a client will be pleased or proud of what they may have produced, it may feel affirming; at other times, what is made may feel messy, confused, uncertain or broken. Each is accepted as how things are at this present time, with an understanding that all things will change.

Play therapy promotes play, even for clients who are adults! Clients are encouraged to experiment with the clay. This supports them in accessing something innate from childhood, an inclination to make marks. Clay making can be seen as a reclamation of our ability to play. This can support the development of a playful attitude towards other areas of our being.

Using clay as a medium, the client is always enabled and encouraged to increase their capacity for curiosity, awarness and self-compassion.

Therapeutic Benefits of Junk Modelling for Children

Junk modelling, also known as recycled art or upcycling, is a creative activity that involves using discarded materials to create new objects. it has become a popular therapeutic activity for children, as it offers numerous physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits.

Here are some of the therapeutic benefits of junk modelling for children:

1. Enhances creativity: Junk modelling encourages children to use their imagination and creativity to transform everyday objects into something new and unique. This can help to boost their confidence and self-esteem, and develop their problem solving skills.
2. Improves fine motor skills: Junk modelling involves cutting, gluing, and manipulating various materials, which can help to develop children’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
3. Reduces Stress and anxiety: Engaging in creative activities such as junk modelling, can help to reduce stress and anxiety in children. It provides a safe and non-judgmental space for them to express themselves and let go of their worries.
4. fosters environmental awareness: Junk modelling teaches children about the importance of recycling and upcycling, and helps to install in them a sense of environmental responsibility.
5. Promote social Interaction: Junk modelling can be a collaborative activity which can promote Social interaction and communication skills in children. It can help them to learn how to work together, share materials and problem solve as a team.
6. Boost self-esteem and confidence: Seeing their creations come to life can boost Children, self-esteem and confidence., as they feel proud of what they have achieved.

Overall, Junk modelling can be a fun and therapeutic activity for children of all ages. It allows them to express themselves creatively, while also developing important physical, cognitive, and emotional skills.

Therapeutic Mindful Benefits of Puppet Making for Children

Therapeutic mindful benefits of puppet making for children.

1. Encourages self-expression: making puppets allows children to express themselves creatively, using different materials and designs to bring their ideas to life. This can help to foster a sense of self-expression and self-confidence.
2. Promotes mindfulness: the process of puppet making can be a calming and meditative activity for children, helping them to focus on the present moment and reduce stress and anxiety.
3. Builds social skills: puppets can be used for role play and storytelling, which can help children to develop their social and communication skills. This can be especially helpful for children who may struggle with shyness or social anxiety.
4. Provides a sense of control: creating and controlling their own puppet can give children a sense of control in agency, helping to build self-esteem and confidence.
5. Promotes emotional awareness: puppets can be used to explore and express emotions, helping children to become more aware of their own feelings and develop emotional intelligence.

Overall, puppet making is a therapeutic and mindful activity that can provide a range of benefits for school children. It allows children to express themselves creatively, promotes mindfulness, build social skills, provides a sense of control, and promotes emotional awareness.

Mindful Benefits of Chair Yoga

Chair yoga can offer numerous mindful and physical benefits for people of all ages and abilities. It is a gentle and accessible form of yoga that can be practised anywhere.

one of the main mindful benefits of chair yoga is that it helps to cultivate present moment awareness and mindfulness. By focusing on the breath and the body, chair yoga allows practitioners to become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. This increased awareness can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and negative thinking patterns.

During chair yoga, participants are encouraged to pay attention to their breath and body sensations as they move through different poses. This mindful awareness can help to bring a sense of calm and relaxation to the body and mind. Practising mindfulness through chair yoga can also help to improve focus and concentration, allowing practitioners to be more present and that daily lives.

In addition, chair yoga can be a great way to practice self-compassion and acceptance. It encourages practitioners to listen to their bodies and practise poses in a way that feels comfortable and safe for them. This approach can help to cultivate a sense of self-awareness and self-care, which can be beneficial for mental and emotional well-being.

Overall, chair yoga is an accessible and effective way to incorporate mindfulness into one’s daily routine. It can help to reduce stress, improve focus and concentration, and promote a sense of self-awareness and self-compassion. 

Here are some of the physical benefits of chair yoga:

1. Stress reduction: chair yoga incorporates breathing techniques and mindful movement, which can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
2. Improved focus: the mindfulness and slow movements involved in chair yoga can help to improve focus and concentration.
3. Mind body connection: chair yoga can help to develop a stronger mind body connection, allowing practitioners to become more aware of their physical and emotional sensations.
4. Relaxation: chair yoga can be relaxing activity, which can help to promote a sense of calm and well-being.

Here are some of the physical benefits of chair yoga: 

1. Improved flexibility: chair yoga involves gentle stretching and movement which can help to improve flexibility and range of motion.
2. Increased strength: the poses in the chair yoga can help to build strength in the muscles of the upper body, lower body and core.
3. Better circulation: chair yoga can help to improve circulation, which can benefit the cardiovascular system and overall health.
4. Reduced joint pain: chair yoga can be a low impact form of exercise, making it a great option for people with joint pain or arthritis.