The Waid Academy – Mindfulness Information
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally” John Kabat-Zinn (1994)
The act of mindfulness is becoming more and more prevalent in todays western society, with many noted benefits of practising mindfulness including: helps increase attention and focus, more effective emotion regulation, decreases stress and anxiety and improved sleep
At The Waid Academy we recognise the stress and anxiety that many of our young people and families may be experiencing as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic, including the change to online learning
We want to be able to help our young people through this difficult time, by supporting them in their wellbeing as well as their academic studies. Practising mindfulness is an effective way to help process and deal with the stress and anxiety that we may be experiencing at this moment in time
As a response to the pandemic Mrs Gauffre (Teacher of RMPS) has been exploring how we can use mindfulness in education to support the wellbeing of our young people. This has included setting up a ‘mindfulness intervention’ at school to offer targeted support to learners who may benefit from this. In addition to this, whilst working from home she has created a Guided Meditation video, focusing on breath, for you and your families to use at home – if and when required
Meditation is a mind and body practice which allows us to focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body and behaviour. Studies show that meditating for as little as 10 minutes increases the brains alpha waves (associated with relaxation) and decreases anxiety and depression
In the short video, Mrs Gauffre will talk you through a 10 minute meditation session, focusing on the breath, by focusing on just one thing for a short amount of time, we are able to slow down our thought processes and bring ourselves back into the present moment – especially when everything may feel a bit chaotic.
As we continue with our online learning, Mrs Gauffre aims to create more guided sessions for you and your families to use, as well as information on other strategies which can help to reduce day – to – day stress and anxiety.
Happy meditating!
