Cultivating Mindfulness in Diverse Contexts. What do schools teach?

Cultivating Cultivating Mindfulness in Mindfulness in

Diverse ContextsDiverse Contexts

What do schools teach?

What do you wish for your children?

What is wellbeing?What is wellbeing?

“A combination of feeling good and doing well.”

courage

confidence

wisdomresilience

forgiveness

compassion

kindness

zest

leadershipcuriosit

ygratitu

de

leadership

““All our life, so far as it has All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of definite form, is but a mass of

habithabits.”s.”William JamesWilliam James

“…“…we are what we repeatedly we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an do. Excellence, then, is not an

act but a habitact but a habit.”.”

Will Durant on Aristotle Will Durant on Aristotle

The human being as a

process

Can we influence this process?

"the single most important change in our understanding

of the human brain in 400 years."

NeuroplasticityNeuroplasticity

~ Norman Doidge, Colombia University

Mindfulness meditation shows down-regulation of genes

implicated in inflammation and these changes are in turn

associated with faster cortisol recovery from a social stress.

EpigeneticsEpigenetics

Kaliman, P., Alvarez-Lopez, M. J., Cosin-Tomas, M., Rosenkranz, M. A., Lutz, A., Davidson, R. J., (2014). Rapid changes in histone deacetylases and inflammatory gene expression in expert meditators. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 40, 96-107.

How do we re-wire How do we re-wire the brain?the brain?

mindfulness

positive relationships

cultivating wholesome qualities

Mindfulness in Mindfulness in diverse contextsdiverse contexts

Intention

Attention

Attitude

Youth Mindfulness Youth Mindfulness Kids ProgrammeKids Programme

16 lessons

Delivered twice weekly

50-60 minutes each

Intention15

AttentionAttitude

Gratitude

Kindness to self

Kindness to others

Purpose

Resilience

Art of happiness Art of suffering

1

2 & 3

4, 5, & 6

9 & 107 & 8

11 & 12

13 & 14

15 & 16

“Everyone in the world should get mindfulness, everyone would be

happy.”

“Mindfulness is amazing…it helps you calm down.”

“Mindfulness makes me think before I act.”

“Mindfulness will make me a better person.”

“When you do it, you feel more open. It also helps

with anger, sadness, irritation, and lots more

stuff.”

“A mindful mind is calm, gentle and kind.”

“Mindfulness is the best way to stay calm and

happy.”

“I am now more peaceful and I don’t get as frustrated

or angry as I used to.”

“I was quite tense and we did mindfulness and I felt all

relaxed and happy for the rest of the day.”

“When I got angry I nearly punched someone then I did mindfulness, calmed down

and everything was better.”

ResearchResearchEarly stages

There are encouraging signs:

Reductions in:•Aggression•Hostility•Anxiety•Stress•Behavioural problems

Improvements in:•Emotional regulation•Attention•Self-acceptance•Executive function•Social and emotional competencies

ResearchResearchZoogman, S., Goldberg, S. B., Hoyt, W. T., & Miller, L. (2014) Mindfulness Interventions with Youth: A meta-analysis. Mindfulness

• 20 studies, N = 1,914.

• Overall effect size: d = .227

• Effect size for clinical samples d = .500• Effect size for non-clinical samples d = .197

• Effect size for psychological symptoms d = .373• Effect size for other outcomes d = .207

Inner Strength Inner Strength ProgrammeProgramme

Ten 90-120 minute weekly sessions

Key factors

Relationship

Respect

Positive emotion

Consistency

Personal PracticePersonal Practice

Where is the field Where is the field headed?headed?

From mindfulness courses to From mindfulness courses to

mindful communitiesmindful communities

Tick box or transformation?Tick box or transformation?

Toward an Toward an ecological model for ecological model for

wellbeingwellbeing

“Happiness is not an individual matter.”

Mindfulness at the City of Mindfulness at the City of Glasgow CollegeGlasgow College

“You don’t benefit unless you’ve got the group. In here you’re with a group of people that all want the

same thing and it feels like a protected space”

“the biggest thing about wake up is it’s very nonjudgmental and you feel that immediately. Without it, it would

detract from the practice hugely.”

Young-adult peer group in Young-adult peer group in GlasgowGlasgow

“If you do it with other people, you are brought together more.”

9-year old student of Youth 9-year old student of Youth Mindfulness Kids Mindfulness Kids

ProgrammeProgramme

“…its going to sound kind of cheesy but it felt like I was safe when I was

coming to these mindfulness classes.”

Mindfulness with Mindfulness with Young OffendersYoung Offenders

“Our children learn reading, writing, math, science, and other subjects in school that can help them earn a living. But very few school programs teach young people how to live – how to deal with anger, how to reconcile conflicts, how to breathe, smile, and transform internal formations. There needs to be a revolution in education. We must encourage schools to train our students in the art of living in peace and harmony. It isn’t easy to learn to read, write, or solve math problems, but children manage to do it. Learning how to breathe, smile and transform anger can also be difficult, but I have seen many young people succeed. If we teach children properly, by the time they are around twelve, thet will know how to live harmoniously with others.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh