We are very pleased to announce that senior students have been offered the opportunity to learn about mindfulness as part of a 5 week classroom-based curriculum called .b (pronounced ‘dot-be’). The course, which begins tomorrow Thursday 21st March, will be facilitated by Ms Heidi Giles, a trained facilitator of this course.
Mindfulness involves training our attention to experience the present moment with greater curiosity and kindness. This helps us to not only appreciate what is going well but to respond more skilfully to life’s inevitable challenges.
At its most simple .b is an awareness-raising exercise to give all students a taste of mindfulness so that they know about it and can return to it later in life if they choose to do so.
.b aims to help young people:
* To improve their concentration and focus, in classes, in exams and tests, on the sports field, when playing games, when paying attention and listening to others.
* To fulfil their potential and pursue their own goals e.g. be more creative, more relaxed, both academically and personally.
* To experience greater well-being (e.g. feel happier, calmer, more fulfilled).
* To work with difficult mental states such as anxious thoughts and low moods.
* To cope with the everyday stresses and strains of adolescent life such as exams, relationships, sleep problems, family issues.
Research studies regarding the benefits of mindfulness for young people can be found on the Mindfulness in Schools Project Website: mindfulnessinschools.org – Research. The feedback from students who take part in .b is very positive. There is a link to the testimonials page of the Mindfulness in Schools Project website where you can hear students speaking movingly about their experiences of developing mindfulness skills having taken part in the .b programme.
The course will run after school on Monday and during lunchtime on Thursdayover the next five weeks.
