We are delighted to welcome Ken Lunn to our Board of Trustees!

 

Ken has substantial experience in senior IT roles up to director level in the NHS. Since retiring in 2014, he has trained as a mindfulness teacher and has taken leadership roles in two other charities, bringing his management experience to bear in developing these charities.

He would like to see mindfulness more pervasively available, widely used as a way of improving individual well-being and resilience, and he sees MiSP’s mission as critical in that aspiration.

The post MiSP Welcomes New Trustee appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

Making a Difference Locally launches
‘The Mindful Fund’ Supporting Wellbeing in Schools 

We are thrilled to share that Co-op Wholesale’s charity, Making a Difference Locally (MADL), has a brand-new funding initiative aimed at supporting wellbeing in schools. The initiative will fund up to two members of staff per school to join the MiSP Pathways and train to deliver our curricula to the children and young people they work with!

The Mindful Fund will provide £50,000 for Co-op Wholesale retail partners to apply for grants to support a nominated individual in a local school to do our .begin course followed by either the Train to Teach dots, Paws b, or .b course, whichever is best suited to their setting. We recommend that two staff members from every school sign up to make this approach sustainable. If you are based in a Primary you can have one member of staff trained to teach dots for 3-6 year olds and the other Paws b for 7-11 year olds.

MiSP is so grateful to MADL and to our Ambassador Esther Ghey for her role in supporting this wonderful new opportunity, inspired by the positive results of the Peace in Mind campaign funding mindfulness teacher training for staff in Warrington schools.

The training equips educators with the tools to deliver mindfulness techniques in the classroom, helping young people to better manage stress, regulate emotions, and build resilience – essential skills in today’s challenging world.

The fund is open-ended and will remain available until all £50,000 has been allocated, which will enable 31 schools across the UK to benefit.

“We’re proud to be launching The Mindful Fund through our Making a Difference Locally charity. By investing in training for individuals within schools, we can create a ripple effect that supports the wellbeing of countless young people. This fund not only empowers our partners to support their communities but also helps us take meaningful action to address the growing challenges faced by young people today.”
Kate Carroll, Social Value Lead at Co-op Wholesale

MADL is organising the funding through Nisa partners who are encouraged to apply soon to secure a place for a local school before the fund is fully utilised.

N.B. If you are a school interested in MADL funding please contact your local Nisa store. Applications are only eligible through MADL and Co-op Wholesale retail partners.

For more information about the charity visit www.nisalocally.co.uk/community or follow @MADLCharity on Facebook, X or LinkedIn.

The post New Funding Available! appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

The Pathways model is a framework designed to help individuals, schools and educational settings explore the benefits of mindfulness and clearly see the extent of MiSP’s potential support. Please see our at-a-glance Pathways Model infographic.

MiSP has previously launched the Pathways framework and the Step 1 and Step 2 resources, which focused on exploring what mindfulness in education is and training staff in an 8-week course.

We are delighted to now announce that the Step 3 resources are ready and are available in the Hub as part of the Pathways framework!

Step 3 focuses on developing a model for mindfulness taught in-house to students and building a community to share coordination of mindfulness initiatives. Anyone who has already completed a Train to Teach dots, Paws b, .b or The Present course and is a Hub Member can automatically access Step 3 resources via the Hub.

For anyone looking to move from Step 2 to Step 3 of the Pathways, we recommend completing a Train to Teach students course. This could be through joining a Train to Teach:

• dots (Age 3-6) course
• Paws b (Age 7-11) course
• .b (Age 11-18) course
• The Present (Age 3-12) course

Why mindfulness for children and young people and how Step 3 resources support?

Alongside other interventions, mindfulness can play a part in both improving the wellbeing of students and, in turn, supporting a whole school approach to flourishing.

Research shows us that students learning mindfulness can have a positive impact on a variety of outcomes for children and young people, including mental health, social and emotional skills, cognition and learning, wellbeing, behaviour and physical health. The field is growing rapidly and overall the evidence suggests that well-designed and well-conducted mindfulness interventions show moderate to small impacts. We have learned from a few large studies that care should be taken to develop a mindfulness approach slowly as part of a whole school approach to wellbeing and that it is essential to have interested, well-trained and well-supported staff delivering the teaching to students. MiSP’s Pathways framework provides CPD-style follow on training to teachers who initially train with us, enabling them to continue to develop their mindfulness teaching skills and connect with a larger supportive community of mindfulness practitioners and teachers.

As well as completing a Train to Teach students course, this initial training can be further sustained with the help of MiSP’s programme of ongoing support and training through the Pathways. With the aim of cultivating and nurturing personal practice alongside exploring how mindfulness might support us in our working life and our approach to working with children and young people, MiSP offers Hub members support across the Pathways, including now at Step 3 e.g:

• Train to Teach Group Mentoring
• Step 3 Skills workshops – including Adapting the Curricula, Trauma-Informed Practice workshops

Please note, Hub membership is open to anyone who has taken a .begin, .b Foundations or other recognised 8-week course, enabling them to access Step 2 resources. Step 3 resources are for people who have completed a Train to Teach course – for details of how to become a Hub member, please see here.

Keys to successful implementation and how Step 3 resources support?

Developing a mindfulness approach in a setting can start with a passionate teacher or other educational member of staff. MiSP looks to use its expertise and experience to support such teachers and educational staff with creating the best conditions for developing a sustainable model for implementing mindfulness in their setting.

Research conducted by Stephanie Wilde et al in 2019, for instance, showed that there are certain key factors in the successful implementation of mindfulness in schools, including:

1. Understanding that the implementation process usually takes time
2. Having a shared supportive ethos/climate ideally to begin with
3. Developing, over time, a shared language about mindfulness
4. Enabling students and staff to be well informed about what mindfulness is (and isn’t)

You will see, therefore, that for Step 3 we have provided resources to support educational staff in further developing a shared language and understanding about mindfulness with students in their community. These include:

• Crib sheets to support the training offered in the Step 3 Skills Workshops alongside attending the workshops themselves
• Ideas and resources for continuing practice development for students (and staff)
• Resources for starting a Mindfulness Club and starting a Mindfulness Leaders group, beginning steps for enabling student voice as part of the approach
• Reflective tools, including a portfolio sheet, with activities and suggestions for how you can grow and develop the setting’s mindfulness approach

Please note, if you would like to introduce mindfulness to students but don’t yet have any teachers or educational staff ‘in house’ trained to teach MiSP student courses in your setting, please consider finding a trained teacher in your area via our Trained Teacher Maps.

A reminder of resources for Steps (4 & 5) still to come

Launching one step at a time over the next year will also be the following Steps with their primary focus marked in bold:

• Step 4 – Embed mindfulness learning and approaches throughout the setting
  where appropriate.
• Step 5 – Sustain and Share, further ensuring your mindfulness approaches
  are as sustainable as possible and can also be shared with and inspire others
  through becoming a MiSP Beacon School/Setting/Trust.

Finally – why approach mindfulness in this way?

Since 2009, MiSP has had the privilege of working with a wide variety of schools, other educational settings, Local Education Authorities and Multi Academy Trusts, helping them to support the wellbeing and mental health of both young people and adults who work within them, as well as the broader community of families, governing bodies, other service providers and volunteers who support those schools.

We have collated examples of successful implementation of mindfulness-based initiatives and key learning from where things have not quite gone to plan. The Pathways approach has evolved out of this rich learning. The benefits of ‘The Pathways’ model include a clear but flexible structure, expert support, tried and tested resources, and a collaborative model that encourages participation from staff and students.

Ultimately, our goal is to empower schools and communities to bring mindfulness to the heart of educational life, supporting individual and community wellbeing. We welcome feedback and the Pathways framework has been designed to evolve in response to our community’s needs.

If you have any questions or further ideas for development, please contact enquiries@mindfulnessinschools.org.

Please join us on this journey by exploring ‘The Pathways’ today!

The post Launching the Pathways Step 3 appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

When and how does mindfulness practice show up in your day? 

I view mindfulness like a light switch – you can choose to turn it on / off. As the day goes on, it’s so much easier to turn it off and get lost in my thoughts or some other distraction that takes me from the present moment. I constantly have to make a conscious choice throughout the day to turn the switch on and come back to the present moment. I do this by tuning in and being intentional with my breath, noticing a physical sensation, taking in my surroundings, or simply being present with a child – engaging with them in real time. When I drift into my thoughts, I try my best to be aware of this and acknowledge that I am making this choice. I love the analogy of a “thought bus” or “cloud” and I try my best to view my passing thoughts with this lens. Sometimes mindfulness shows up more formally in my day. Every morning I dedicate around 30 minutes to go through a series of yoga poses that allow me to stretch, prepare my body and breath for the day, and just check in with myself and how I’m feeling physically. Sometimes I slip into autopilot and go through the motions but I try my best to stay present with my body or breath. I follow this practice with a seated meditation that takes on different forms depending on how I’m feeling energetically. Sometimes I do a calming breathing practice where I focus on the counting of my breath and where I feel it in my body. Sometimes I do a more strenuous breathing exercise for strength & focus. Other times I just sit and talk to myself. If done with attention and by choice, they can all nourish me in different ways.

If you reflect back on the day, where are the moments you have awareness of choices?

When making choices throughout my day I try my best to tune in to what feels right when responding. When I am in a state of reacting, I tend to feel a sense of discomfort – there’s a bit of tension in my body, my heart beats a little faster, and I may feel a little flush. My biggest indicator however is a tingling sensation at the top of my head. That’s usually a clue that I need to pause, tune in with my breath, and allow things to unfold a bit more before responding. When I’m responding it’s usually because there’s a sense of ease and choices feel natural – there’s a sense of flow. I try my best to stay fluid in this current of waiting to respond versus reacting. Sometimes I have to make choices about the future, etc… In these moments I have to really dig into my practice to wait and respond versus reacting. I know the future will unfold as it’s meant to unfold but I must notice the choices as they appear along the way that help bring this future to fruition. There is a real sense of surrender to the future. This can be really exciting but also daunting and practices that keep me in the present help me stay focused on the footsteps I’m currently taking that will take me where I need to go.

What about noticing after the moment; if you didn’t make skilful choices during the day? 

In these moments, I rely heavily on reflection. I reflect on the choices I didn’t feel so comfortable about. Sometimes I write out what happened and other times I talk it out with someone. A lot of the time I participate in an internal dialogue or visualize what happened during moments of meditation. All avenues give me an opportunity to think about what happened, the choices that were made, and overall how it made me or others feel. I try and think about some of the other ways I could have responded and how everything feels, narrowing in on ways I should have responded. I try my best not to be too hard on myself knowing that skilful choices can now be made only after knowing what choices not to make. There is a real sense of learning that I welcome by bringing awareness to the less than perfect choices.

What’s your go to practice in the midst of a working day?

Coming back to my breath is my absolute go-to practice as well as choosing to be present with a child in the form of play or noticing together in the moment.

Coming back to my breath nourishes me and allows me to connect with myself while connecting with a child allows me to connect with something outside of myself.

What else supports your health and wellbeing? 

In order to support my health and well-being I stretch and do yoga, swim, lift light weights, listen to music, clean, cook, and take hot showers. Being outside or in nature really fills my cup and playing in the ocean waves gives me life. Getting an appropriate amount of sleep and setting limits on screen time also support my wellbeing.

Being present with these activities makes them come to life in ways that feel good to me.

Call to action? 

The purpose of life is to know who you are. First you must know what you are not. Practice being present, surrender to each moment as it comes, believe in yourself, and keep going. In time you will know true peace.

Our huge thanks to Brock for all his hard work and for sharing this with us.

The post MiSP A Day in the Life of Brock Martin appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

Guest blog by Eli

I’m a 22-year-old studying Chemistry at the University of Bristol. Like many other students (and, I suspect, many non-students), I’ve often felt overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. Although I still experience these emotions, mindfulness and the .begin course have given me the tools to deal with, understand and accept these feelings.

Although my memory of the time is fuzzy, my journey with mindfulness began in 2013 when my Dad began to practice, and eventually teach mindfulness. Throughout my childhood, I participated in various different activities including two family retreats, a young person’s retreat and MiSP’s own Paws b and .b programs. While it may seem that this consistent exposure would give me a bias towards mindfulness, I actually spent most of my life questioning its effectiveness and believing it was just another fad. It was only in September last year (2023) that I began practising and saw the true benefits that mindfulness can provide.

So what changed?

Last summer, part way through a trip around Europe, my parents informed me over the phone that my sister had an unidentified mass in her arm which could have been cancer. This instantly triggered a flood of anxieties and fears. Not only was I deeply worried about my sister, but a wave of repressed trauma from when my mum had cancer resurfaced.

This led to me cutting my trip short, flying home, and spending the next month shut away being consumed by anxiety and depression. By the time September arrived, and I had to return to Bristol for my third year, the combination of university stress, fear for my sister’s health and it taking three months to discover that it wasn’t cancer, and the resurgence of buried emotions led to me having what I can only describe as a breakdown. I felt powerless and unsure of how to regain control over my life. It was at this time that my Dad told me that there was space on a .begin course if I wanted to give mindfulness another shot. Despite my previous doubts I figured that I had nothing to lose, and as a last-ditch effort to pull myself out of a downward spiral, I joined the course.

I want to be clear here: the .begin course didn’t magically eliminate my anxiety and solve all of my problems. Instead, it gave me a toolkit to understand and deal with the negative thoughts and feelings I was experiencing. Throughout the course we were introduced to a variety of techniques, and while not all of them resonated with me, that was okay. We were consistently taught that not everything works for everyone, and to practice the techniques which work for you – whether it’s body scans, “pausing and stepping back exercises”, or reframing your thoughts. One particular concept that struck a chord for me was the idea of thinking about your life as a movie—where you step back and watch it unfold without getting lost in it. It might sound strange, but for me this simple idea provided a foundation that allowed me to begin pulling myself out of the downward spiral.

Since finishing the course I’ve found that being mindful has shifted my relationship with anxiety and stress. Rather than seeing these feelings as problems to solve, I now view them as part of my experience and find that I can manage them with patience and kindness toward myself. Moving forward, I’d like to deepen my practice. Although I haven’t yet fully committed to a daily formal practice, I know mindfulness will continue to be a valuable resource in my life.

The key takeaway for me is that mindfulness doesn’t provide a magical one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a flexible toolkit to approach life’s challenges with. If you’re considering the .begin course, I encourage you to give it a try. Even if you’re sceptical like I was, .begin offers an accessible introduction to mindfulness and there’s a good chance you’ll find something that resonates with you. Mindfulness won’t solve all your problems, but it can help you approach them with more clarity, acceptance, and patience—and that’s a powerful shift in itself.

The post My journey with mindfulness: why I took the .begin course and why you should too appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

We now have 17 runners signed up to join us at the Asics London 10km race taking place in Central London on Sunday 5^th July 2020! You can join them! Take on this exciting challenge to help support our A Million Minds Matter appeal…

The Team

Our running team is growing each week! We are excited to have a real mixture of runners including MiSP teachers, friends and family, parents, corporate teams: experienced runners and total novices! All applications welcome – please join us to support our cause and raise funds to bring mindfulness to more children.

How do I sign up?

It’s easy! Simply complete our Fundraising Challenge Form to join them team.

What is the fundraising commitment?

No minimum! Our team of runners will be raising funds to support our A Million Minds Matter appeal. We’re asking each runner to raise whatever they can and don’t specify a minimum amount because we are grateful for your support. Any amount you can raise will help us to bring mindfulness to more children and more schools.

In return for your efforts, you will join the MiSP Mindful Running Team! You’ll receive a MiSP technical t-shirt, regular support and tips and we’ll feature your mindful running story on our website if you’d like us to. We will also celebrate your success once you have completed the challenge!

Why choose the ASICS London 10km?

Starting on Piccadilly, this 10km closed-road route takes runners on a loop through London’s top landmarks. You’ll run past the statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus, up (and down!) Regent Street, along the Strand and Embankment, past Nelson’s Column, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and you’ll also get the best view across the river of the London Eye and the Southbank.

Live bands, DJs and cheering fans will keep over 10,000 runners entertained along the way, helping you make it to the finish line!

This is a really well supported charity run, now in its twentieth year, and will be a fantastic event to take participate in as part of our team.

Can’t make London in July 2020?

If London in July is not convenient for you, why not join our Youth Ambassador Emily Brierley at the Great Manchester 10K Run on Sunday 24th May 2020? This will be a wonderful event with lots of entertainment and loads of support! Alternatively, find a race that suits you, and let us know you would like to run for us: email Kate at enquiries@mindfulnessinschools.org and we will provide further information.

Contact us

If you have any queries, please email Kate at enquiries@mindfulnessinschools.org and we will happy to help.

Our fundraisers

We are so grateful to our amazing fundraisers. Read their inspirational stories here.

If you would like more ideas to help raise funds for our A Million Minds Matter appeal, please take a look at our Fundraising Pack for ideas and visit our JustGiving page to start fundraising for us!

The post Join our Mindful Running Team appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

Be kind to yourself

Whether you have been running for years, or are just getting started, pay attention to your body. Preparing for any distance running event requires you to build up mileage and speed month by month. Do this at a pace which is right for you, and make sure you build in to your schedule warm ups, warm downs, stretching and rest days. If you’re a beginner, it can be helpful to follow a running plan – there are plenty on the internet – and perhaps a star chart or an incentive if you find sticking to your plan difficult.

And be kind to yourself. If you don’t feel like running one day, or if you are too busy to, it is okay to acknowledge that – and go in the next few days instead! If you feel any pain or injury, make sure you get it checked out before continuing to train. And of course, if you have a history of medical or physical issues, do check with your doctor that running is suitable for you right now.

Taking on a challenge is a brilliant opportunity to push yourself to achieve something fantastic – but remember, you don’t have to set any records – this should be fun!

Check your equipment

The main equipment you need is good running shoes. These might be shoes you already own, or a new pair: there are hundreds of models and makes and you will be spoilt for choice! But make sure; (i) that they fit well and you have room to wiggle your toes, and (ii) they are not too worn down: Old running shoes have reduced shock absorption so you are at higher risk of injury if your shoes have already run many miles.

In terms of other equipment, you don’t really need any. Comfortable running clothes might include a short sleeve top and a long sleeve top to take off when you get hot. Gloves for cold hands. Reflective vest/lights for safety if you are running in the dark!

Hydration and sleep

You will probably already know that one of the secrets of success is good sleep. If you find sleeping difficult, try Beditation. Recommended by the children and young people who we teach.

Did you know a secret to success is good hydration too? Especially if you are training for a 10k! Whilst the exact amount of water each person needs to drink each day varies depending on your age, gender, physical condition and activity levels, if you are increasing your physical activities you need to increase your water intake too as you can lose large amounts of fluid through sweat when exercising for long periods.

Sleep well, drink well and run well.

The post Get Ready! appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

1. REGISTER

If you haven’t done so already, please register as a MiSP team member here.

2. SET UP JUSTGIVING

Please set up your fundraising page on JustGiving.

• Click the orange ‘Fundraise for us’ button in the top right hand corner
• Log in to your JustGiving account and set up the following details:
  • You are taking part in an ‘Organised event’ (which is not on the drop down list) so please complete ‘Tell us about your activity’
  • You can then ‘Personalise your page’ and ‘Tell your supporters your story’. If you would like to add information about MiSP and our work here, please feel free to copy and past information from our website.

3. START FUNDRAISING!

Share the link to your JustGiving page and start raising funds!

• Send an email with the JustGiving link to your family, your friends and you colleagues, explaining what you are doing, inviting them to donate and thanking them for their support. If running 10k is unusual for you, don’t forget to highlight that this is a genuine challenge that you are undertaking!
• Share the JustGiving link on your Twitter feed (and use our @dotbschools Twitter handle)
• Share the JustGiving link on your Linkedin page, your Facebook page, you Instagram feed and on any other social media platforms you use
• Talk to your employer. Many companies will support employee fundraising initiatives with internal activities or even offer to match funding that you raise. If your employer is interested in supporting Mindfulness in Schools Project work more broadly please let me know and we would be very happy to talk to them.
• Provide us with a blog on how your training is going! We will be happy to publish this to raise awareness of your efforts.

4. GOOD LUCK

Good luck with your training. Whether you are hoping just to complete it, or aiming for a personal best, look after yourself and enjoy your running.

THANK YOU.

The post Thank you for joining the MiSP Mindful Running Team! appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

Caroline is a campaigner, a writer and the Green Party’s first ever MP, twice leading the party and representing Brighton Pavilion since 2010. She has written on subjects such as green economics, localisation, alternatives to globalisation, trade justice, animal welfare and food. In her time as a politician and activist, she has worked with non-governmental organisations and think tanks, including the RSPCA, CND and Oxfam.

Caroline was one of our key speakers at our 2019 A Million Minds Matter Conference where she revealed that mindfulness has not only deepened her own appreciation of the natural world, but she believes it also has the potential to inspire us to work harder to protect it, and to equip us with the strength we need to confront the true scale of the environmental crisis we face.

We are delighted to have Caroline’s ongoing support for our important work.

How were you introduced to mindfulness?

Last year I did complete the 8 week mindfulness course which – thanks to the Oxford Mindfulness Centre – was being run in parliament. And to be honest, if you can be mindful sitting upright in the leather-backed chairs of Committee Room 7 in the House of Commons, with the voting bells ringing and MPs’ pagers bleeping, it’s probably a pretty good training for being mindful anywhere! I try to get to as many of the follow-up weekly drop-in sessions as I can – but I’m absolutely no expert at all.

Why do you think mindfulness in important?

What lies at the heart of both mindfulness and of a relationship with the natural world is the art of paying attention, in the here and now.

That sense of being utterly present in the moment, at one with nature around us, enhances that experience – and is potentially transformative. I’d make the case that a deep appreciation of the natural world, a love for it, is a precondition for its protection.

Why mindfulness in schools?

I have had the honour of hosting a visit from the 16 year old Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, whose solitary vigil outside the Swedish parliament sparked a global movement of young people demanding we take urgent action on climate change. The Youth Climate strikes are one of the most inspiring and hopeful things that have happened in years, but there is a real concern that young people are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature – which not only has documented ill-effects on young people themselves in terms of increased stress – but it also means that we risk a younger generation growing up without exposure to, and understanding of, our natural world. Unless the next generation know and love what’s at threat, then I fear they’ll be less equipped to fight to protect it.

The answer is not just a greater exposure to, and understanding of, nature – although that’s something I’m campaigning for in parliament through the introduction of a new GCSE in Natural History – but a mindful awareness of it, an immersion in it and a feeling for it. A sense that we’re not separate. That what we do to the world around us, we ultimately do to ourselves. I think schools are the perfect place to start.

How can mindfulness in schools support positive environmental activism?

When we’re confronted with the scale of loss that we face – the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis – we need help in dealing with our fear and grief, as well as support in finding the inner strength necessary to take the action necessary to address it.

Academically, theoretically, we know about the dangers of exceeding 2 degrees warming – but we rarely do we risk emotionally connecting with that reality.

And perhaps one of the reasons we don’t, is that we fear the darkness that might engulf us if we do. How do we cope with the thought that humanity may not wake up in time? That climate change might become irreversible? That societies, even in the developed world, might no longer have the ability to respond or cope?

And it’s in trying to answer those questions that I’ve turned to mindfulness.

If one of the main reasons for practising mindfulness is to achieve a deeper wellbeing for ourselves and others, then that surely has to encompass the larger world around us, on which our wellbeing depends.

The post Caroline Lucas MP, MiSP Patron appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.

When I joined Mindfulness in Schools Project as an administrator a few years ago I must admit that I didn’t quite get what ‘mindfulness’ was, but it was a job I could do part-time and I enjoyed it, so I stayed. Then, in September 2017, I was given the opportunity to take part in the pilot of  MiSP’s new eight-week personal mindfulness course, .begin.

By the end of the eight weeks I realised how powerful mindfulness was and what a difference it was making for me. I felt more present and aware with my family, I actively practised kindness to others and encouraged my friends to do the same. I was able to stop myself getting into squabbles with my teenage twins when they pushed all my buttons. Now when someone annoys me, instead of getting cross, I just think ‘loving kindness’ and go on my way … well most of the time.

In my role at MiSP, one of my favourite jobs is working on the Class Impact presentations. Members of our teachers’ network, the Hub, can request links to the pupil and teacher surveys at the end of a .b or Paws b course and I turn the feedback into a presentation for them. They are a great way for teachers to show their Senior Leadership Team and school parents just what impact the course had on the pupils, and has often encouraged schools to roll out the courses to more classes.

But the best bit is reading about how .b or Paws b has helped the pupils. Teachers may be downhearted when a class appears not to be fully engaged, but there will be that one pupil, almost certainly more, for whom this is life changing. The practices they learn can support them through difficult times or help them cope with their anxiety. And even though students might look like they’re not engaging, all the learning is happening – it’s sinking in – and you may only find out just how much has gone in weeks, months or even years later when they come back and tell you how they delved into a practice they learned on .b or Paws b when a difficult moment arose, when they needed steadying before an exam or interview, or they just needed a brief moment to step back and really notice what was going on for them.

“If I get anxious, when a worry just comes, I just breathe and feel my feet I can do it anywhere. This stops the worry being so sharp and jagged.”
Paws b Student

“I get frequent anxiety attacks, but they’re getting bearable thanks to the .b course.”
.b Student

Many teachers have noticed how it has enabled pupils to deal with anger issues and that is often commented on by the pupils themselves. It is lovely to read comments like this and know that a young person has been given tools that they didn’t have before which are improving their life.

“It has helped me to not be as angry to my sisters and family and I don’t give as much attitude to my family as well. I am being more kind and nice”
.b Pupil

There are also plenty of pupils who talk about how .b and Paws b have helped them with exams and important sporting events. The mindfulness practices they are taught assist them in keeping calm, maintaining focus and being their best.

“I learnt how to stop my self worrying in big tests and Paws b also helped me to concentrate during lessons …”
Paws b Student

I really love how the pupils express themselves too. Clearly the mindful eating part of the courses is a big hit and the pupils have many great ways to tell us about the Minstrels they enjoyed … ‘minstrawls’, ‘mistrials’, ‘mindstraws’, even ‘ministerial’ but my all time absolute favourite is ‘mint trolls!’

And as a teacher, you can make a genuine difference. These lessons are unlike any others your pupils will experience. These are times within the school day when they can just be present and really connect with themselves. Pupils like the opportunity to be able to take their shoes off in class, “closing our eyes and being quiet”, maybe have a little sleep while learning Beditation! The pupils often comment on the impact their Paws b or .b teacher had on them: “I find these things very inspiring and I’d like you to come back because it really helped me.”

“The best thing about Paws b was that I got to be myself.”
Paws b Student

So when you are teaching .b or Paws b and it’s a bit tricky, take a moment to have a breathing space, then go back to our guidance when you first trained …

The fundamental aims are:

1. For all students to know about mindfulness
2. For most to enjoy it
3. For many to use it now and again
4. For some to practise daily
5. For as many as possible to remember it.

If you can touch just one pupil, make a difference to just one life, it has all been worthwhile.

“Seeing the impact of children in difficult family situations has reaffirmed my belief that this is very important and vital work to be done with children and young people.”
.b Teacher

View more Impact Data in The Evidence Base here.

The post Mindfulness in Schools – Seeing The Impact appeared first on Mindfulness in Schools Project.