Benefits of Mindfulness-based social emotional Learning

It’s likely, by now, that you’ve heard the word Mindfulness. Perhaps you practice it yourself, maybe you’ve been meaning to learn more, or this could be your first encounter. So, what is it, how does it work, and what place does it have in school and in the classroom? The term Mindfulness, in its current iteration was coined in the United States by Dr. John Kabat-Zinn in the 1970’s. It began as a stress reduction technique that he developed and utilized with hospital patients. It now has decades of research demonstrating its efficacy for just about anyone. It has been implemented in schools as a way to help children stay focused, increase academic performance, and develop empathy. According to Dr. Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally (Staff 2016).” With a meditation practice at its core that focuses on breathing, participants realize benefits neurologically, academically, and socio-emotionally.

Neurological Benefits

Dr. Dan Seigel, Harvard Psychiatrist, describes Mindfulness as a “brain hygiene practice” adding that “neural integration is the heart of health (TEDMED 2009).” He is referring to the fact that Mindfulness has been shown in various neurological studies to integrate different brain regions. This allows for emotional balance, flexible thinking, effective communication, perspective taking and self-regulation (TED 2009). Studies have even shown that grey matter thickens in brain areas responsible for learning and memory as a result of Mindfulness practice (Holzel et al. 2010). This means that we can actually grow new brain cell by simply focusing our minds. With the MindUp Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning Program that we are using at Futuro Verde, we are helping each other “take a wandering attention and return it again and again to its target (TEDMED 2009). With this regular core practice, we take a few quiet moments to focus on our breathing and quiet our minds all while growing new brain cells! Students are learning about their brains and what they can do to positively impact their own experience.

Academic Benefits

Helping students to be mindfully aware of their own experience and teaching them focused breathing can have a powerful impact on academics. In the United Kingdom and the United States where Mindfulness has been practiced in schools for many years, children are showing an increased ability to pay attention and concentrate in the classroom. By learning about their brains, they gain awareness of how their brains work and gain mastery in having selective focus. Naturally, this can all have a positive impact on class participation and grades. Most importantly, students gain confidence and begin to understand that they have control of their own minds. This helps them to be engaged active participants as they observe and interact in their environment while taking healthy risks. 

Social Emotional Benefits

With an increased sense of awareness and continued practice, students can see the benefits of Mindfulness in their interactions with others. By regulating their emotions and understanding different perspectives, students become more empathetic and compassionate towards others. This helps them to develop and maintain healthy relationships with cooperation as a focus (Hawn 2011). With this type of cooperative community building, conflicts are resolved peacefully and bullying and negative peer pressure diminish. This helps all students to thrive in a school community where they are supported and where they support others. Being engaged in this way provides the emotional balance children need to learn and grow with minimal stress. Programs like Mind Up facilitate an educational experience that is fun where students are focused and engaged while being inspired to participate (Hawn 2011).

By taking a few moments every day to focus on breathing and clear their minds through targeted attention, students reduce stress and actually change their neural biology. This has a profound impact on how they experience school and how they react to adversity. With common language, common practice and a cooperative community students gain the tools to regulate their behavior, emotions, and thoughts in a nurturing environment. If you’d like to learn more about the Mind Up program and the benefits of Mindfulness in general you can watch this TED Talk with Goldie Hawn and Dr. Daniel Seigel, creators of the Mind Up program. With so many benefits maybe you’ll be inspired to try your own Mindfulness practice.

References

1. org Staff. (2016). Jon Kabat-Zinn: Defining Mindfulness. Mindful.org. 11 January 2016 Available at: http://www.mindful.org/jon-kabat-zinn-defining-mindfulness/
2. (2009). Does Positive Imagery Make You Healthy and Happy? TED MED Conference. Goldie Hawn and Dan Seigel, MD. October 2009. Available at: https://youtu.be/1OdBXGHwNCk
3. Holzel et al. (2010). Mindfulness Practice Leads to Increases In Regional Brain Gray Matter Density. Psychiatry Res. 30 January 2011. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/
4. Hawn, Goldie. (2011). Mind Up. Brain Focused Strategies for Learning and Living. 2011.
5. Jones, Dan (2011). The Psychologist. The British Psychological Society. Mindfulness in Schools. October 2011. Available at: https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-24/edition-10/mindfulness-schools