Psychiatrist & clinical lecturer on pyschiatry at the Univeristy of Alberta, Dr Catherine Phillips is dedicated to bringing the benefits of mindfulness to others. She joins us to discuss how MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) techniques can work equally well with teens as with adults to reduce stress, improve connections with self and others, and lead to greater happiness and contentment. Founder of the Mindfulness Institute.ca and one of the key organziers of the upcoming International Conference on Mindfulness with Youth (July 15-17, 2011), Catherine works tirelessly to promote mindfulness meditation in the areas of education, health care and society at large.

Original Air Date: June 30, 2011

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Connect with Catherine on the Mindfulness Institute.ca Facebook page.

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Author of Mindsight and the soon to be released The Whole Brain Child, Dr Dan Siegel is an expert in how the mind, brain and relationships interconnect and influence our lives. He joins us to address the importance of mindful awareness in youth to foster positive mental, physical and relational health and well-being. With the science to prove it works, Dr Siegel shows us how to focus our attention on the internal workings of the mind helping us to acknowldege thoughts & feelings, let go of that which does not serve, and transform our lives leading to greater health and happiness. Learn more about this essential component to emotional and social intelligence and the easy to implement Wheel of Awareness during this 30 minute interview. Dr. Siegel is the keynote speaker at the International Conference on Mindfulness with Youth held in Banff, Alberta July 15-17, 2011.

Original Air Date: June 15, 2011

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Learn more about Dr Dan Siegel’s work on his website or connect with the International Conference on Mindfulness with Youth on Facebook.

Enjoy Free itunes downloads of this and any of our extensive library of amazing interviews. Coming next is Dr Catherine Phillips, founder of the Mindfulness Institute.ca, who will discuss mindfulness in schools.

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Eoin Finn joins us to share insights on how to achieve bliss in our lives. The Blissology Project encourages doing good, feeling better and creating an upward spiral through the Five Big Easys. Discover exactly how these simple steps can change your life, creating more peace and contentment. Eoin will also share his experience on TEDx Talks and the keys to hammock enlightenment in order to slow down and connect with our inner wisdom and one another.

Original Air Date: May 4, 2011

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Connect with Eoin through Facebook, on Twitter @eoinfinnyoga or his website.

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Yogainmyschool.com presents a mindful listening game which promotes conscious awareness of sounds, improves listening skills and is ideal for the Easter season. Using a variety of commonly found items inside plastic Easter eggs students play with sound, finding the matching egg which ‘sounds right.’ This game encourages children to listen attentively and effectively in order to discern subtle variations in sounds.

Sounds Right

Hello, this is Donna Freeman, the founder of Yogainmyschool.com. Today I’m going to show you how to play the mindfulness game Sounds Right. It is a fantastic game, especially for the Easter season, that’s why we have a dozen large eggs. Inside, however, when you open it up there are a dozen plastic Easter eggs.

You’ll want six different items and a matching six. For example inside we have salt, lentils, rice, beans, buttons and paperclips.

The goal here is that they are mixed up. The child or the student needs to match up one with the other. When they find two that sound the same they have a match.

Sounds Right is a fantastic game for developing mindfulness, for sensory integration for children with special needs, and it is ideal for the Easter Season.

Enjoy Sounds Right this Easter with your students. You can find a host of other fun yoga and mindfulness games at Yogainmyschool.com.

Thank-you.

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Incorporating a daily mindfulness practice into their day is a wonderful way to help children and teenagers connect to themselves, improve happiness, reduce stress and increase focus. Mindfulness is a tool which can be used throughout our lives and increases awareness of the present without judgement. Ideally this practice will be repeated at the same time each day (for example after lunch recess) to help instill the habit of mindfulness and reap the greatest benefits.

Here is a simple two minute mindfulness practice/lesson to repeat daily and includes one minute of mindful listening and one minute of mindful breathing.

• Sit quietly, lengthen your spine by reaching the crown of the head to the sky, feet or bottom firmly connected with the earth, close your eyes.
• Bring your attention to the sound you are about to hear. Listen until the sound is completely gone.
• Ring a mindfulness bell, or have a student ring the bell. Use a bell with a sustained sound or a rain-stick.
• Raise your hand when you can no longer hear the sound.
• When most/all of the students have raised a hand ask them to slowly and mindfully move their hand to their stomach and feel their breathing.
• Breathe in and out, paying attention to the breath as it moves in and out of the body. Is it warm? cold? shallow? deep? smooth? even? ragged? long? short? Breathe in, breathe out.
• Ring the bell after one minute to end as students open their eyes and resume their day.

Here is an mindfulness bell audio clip that you can use for this activity if you don’t happen to have a chime, bell or rain stick on hand.

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Visit our Mindfulness Category for many more games, activities and techniques which teach children and teens to live mindful lives. We add new content all the time so be sure to subscribe (e-mail or RSS) to receive these posts directly to you.

Photo courtesy of cogdogblog

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Mindfulness Games for Kids and Teens

Ever felt alone in the world? We all have. These feeling are usually temporary but can become overwhelming at times, especially for tweens and teens who are trying to find their way and discover who they are. In reality we are all connected, one to another. The universal human condition, the inhalation and exhalation, impact us all. This game uses this connection to focus and enjoy trying to connect with someone far away. It will help reduce feelings of isolation and imprint uplifting thoughts for others and self upon the soul. So whenever you are feeling alone, send joy and notice how quickly you feel better.

Sending Joy

You can do this activity anywhere, anytime: during meditation or while sitting waiting for the traffic light to change.

Sit quietly for a few minutes. Focus on your breath, the rhythmic rise and fall of the inhalation and exhalation. Bring to mind a far away country…one you know little about so that your mind is not clouded by preconceived notions of economy, politics, etc. Simply know that in that country there is a person who would benefit from more joy in his or her life.

Imagine that person: their age, how tall they are, what they do for a living, the colour of their hair, etc. Add as much detail as you can.

Now imagine that he or she is suddenly feeling happy for no particular reason, simply because he or she was sent a dose of joy from you. Wish them a brighter smile, a lift in their walk, a sense of well-being. Image them stopping during their hectic day to enjoy something wonderful: a butterfly, a snowflake, the smell of freshly baked bread. Imagine that person appreciating their life just as it is right now. Imagine their surprise at the sudden good feeling inside and how that makes them be kinder to others, who in turn pay it forward. Your good intentions have set off an avalanche of joy.

Marvel at how good it feels to send joy to a complete stranger.

Variations: Do this for someone you know but don’t ever tell him or her. Or feel the joy others are sending you.

You have to listen inside yourself…just the way you strain to hear the dog barking in the hills, or the train rushing by in the night, or the rustle of birds in the leaves of the trees, or the church bells from a chruch you can’t see, or a boat whistle in the fog. If you listen hard you’ll feel someone far away sending love to you. ~exerpt from If You Listen by Charlotte Zolotow

 Visit the Yoga Games page for more ideas on fun, engaging and interactive ways of sharing yoga with kids and teens.

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