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Mindfulness pilot programme has positive results in New Zealand schools

Sunday 9th November 2014

Mindfulness pilot programme has positive results in New Zealand schools
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Teachers in New Zealand who led their students in "mindfulness" exercises reported improvements in their mental health, including their ability to sit still, pay attention and resolve conflicts. The eight-week programme piloted in five primary schools includes a heavy focus on breathing and teaching students to have a greater awareness of their own bodies.

A teacher at an inner-city Auckland primary school reported "an enduring sense of calm" after her students had six weeks of training in "mindfulness".

The training had "profound effects on a couple of children" who had been unable to sit still and were easily distracted.

In a smaller, low-decile school, another teacher reported that children who got into a fight calmed down more quickly.

"Most of the credit for this can go to mindfulness, as the class are thinking about their actions instead of reacting," the teacher said.

"Mindfulness" is an established technique for adult mental health, helping people to cope with stressful issues in their past or stressful upcoming events by focusing on the present - observing and appreciating the world around them and the state of their own bodies.

Last year the Mental Health Foundation began a pilot scheme to teach the same techniques to 126 children in five primary schools. A facilitator went into the classes eight times over eight weeks, and regular classroom teachers were trained in how to make the techniques part of their daily routines.

See our list of popular mindfulness resources, or click on the External Link below to read the original article published in the New Zealand Herald.

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