Breathing Happiness:
A Mindfulness Program for Children
Breathing Happiness:
A Mindfulness Program For Children
Age Group:
9-12 years
Medium:
Online through live webinars
Dates:
To be Announced
Frequency & Timings:
Every Saturday, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm IST for 4 Weeks
Course Fee:
INR 2,500/- (inclusive of 18% GST) per person
To Register, reach us on +91 9833985538 (Monday to Saturday between 9 am and 7 pm) or write to us on info@innerspacetherapy.in
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a beautiful practice of being present to this moment and rooted to life as it flows by. If you observe your mind, you will notice that there is some chatter present almost constantly. And we live a significant part of our lives through this chatter, rather than in our actual experience of this moment.
Mindfulness is a practice of training, or, rewiring the attention to remain more in the experience of things rather than in the story. It is a practice of being present to this moment, non-judgmentally and compassionately. A lot of our stress comes from being in our thoughts constantly, ruminating over some past experiences, or compulsively planning something or trying to fix a problem to avoid a painful future.
Mindfulness training results in more restfulness and an unconditional acceptance of this moment. It brings in more capacity for joy and more resilience.
Why Mindfulness for Children?
Aren’t they already Quite Present?
Yes! Children are innately more mindful than adults. When you were a child, you were more present to life, moment to moment, than you probably are as an adult. When you interact with a child you will realise, one moment they are upset about something and the next moment they are able to enjoy a good game. One good reason to start early is to reinforce this habit while it is still there. This tendency to pay attention in the present and be in the moment goes down significantly with age and with increased conditioning.
Moreover, in today’s world, children are exposed to high amounts of stimulation and information overload. Their attention is getting conditioned even sooner to reactively seek external stimulation. Over a period of time, it becomes a habitual tendency. Living while mentally constantly juggling between thoughts and tasks reduces a child’s productivity and impacts emotional wellbeing causing stress, anxiety , low mood and a feeling of helplessness.
Research suggests that learning mindfulness based techniques helps children improve self-confidence, relationship with others, attention, impulse control, ability to enjoy the task at hand, destress and much more. Hence, learning early to watch the mind, cultivate a compassionate relationship with it, and know how to approach things from a stable, centered mindset rather than a frantic, stressed one makes a lot of difference in how one’s life progresses.
A Mindfulness &
Self-Awareness Guide
By Sadia Saeed
This book is written with an intention to help young people adopt perspective and practices to live life joyfully, to initiate valuable learnings from Indian wisdom traditions early in life and to avoid learning unhealthy patterns that will lead to mental health difficulties later.
- Experiential and Practical Sessions
- Activity Based
- A Mix of Concepts and Practice
- Application of Mindfulness to Daily Life
- Sharing and Practicing together in a group
- Learning how to manage the mind
- How to deal with feelings and thoughts
- Mental relaxation
- How to relax without fighting thoughts
- How to build concentration without fighting with the mind
- Managing pressure and conflicting expectations, peer interaction
- Self support, getting a better understanding of oneself
Parents will also get an opportunity to experience mindfulness along with their children.
Session 1- Introduction to Mindfulness
- Understanding the monkey mind, emotions and the mind body connection
- Introduction to the concept of Mindfulness
- Introductory mindfulness meditation practice to help deal with stress better and train attention
Session 2- Connecting with mind and body in the present by practicing present moment focus
- Belly Breathing Meditation to practice present moment focus
- Understanding the importance of gentle present moment focus
- Learning to manage distractions, thoughts and emotions with mindfulness
Session 3- Understanding Non-judgmental and
practicing emotional regulation
- Understanding the instant thoughts of judgments mind makes
- Experiential learning of the impact of constant engagement in these
judgments on long term stress levels and productivity - Becoming aware of the inner critique and its impact on our own wellbeing and performance
- Revisiting the mindfulness techniques to help support difficult emotions non-judgementally
Session 4- Loving Kindness and Gratitude
- Exploring different forms and expressions of kindness
- Learning different situations in which they can apply these forms of kindness
- An activity to explore individual self-care technique
- Activities to practice gratitude and kindness
- Loving Kindness Meditation and Hugging Meditation
Facilitator of
Breathing Happiness Program
The Breathing Happiness Program will be facilitated by Shubhra Mehta.
- Shubhra is a practicing Psychologist at Inner Space.
- She has worked extensively with children, young adults and adults; and has an in-depth understanding of their struggles.
- She practices Mindfulness based meditation.
- She uses mindfulness practices regularly to help children through their difficulties.
- She is currently involved in training NGOs and communities in mindfulness.
- She is also trained in Mindfulness based Psychotherapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Integral Somatic Psychology and Rational Emotive Education for kids.
