Mindfulness in Schools & Colleges
Bringing calm into the classroom
Mindfulness is not some trendy, new-age fad, but rather a provenly effective discipline for the mind which brings a whole range of benefits to children and adults alike. Children learn to read and write at school, they are taught to look after their bodies, but very little attention is given to understanding their own minds and hearts.
I run courses and workshops in mindfulness in the East Midlands and the UK in Schools and Colleges. I teach children, teachers and parents too.
When introducing mindfulness we are giving children permission to sit still. We are letting them know that being still is a good thing to do for a while. This helps bring about a healthy balance to their lives from one that is often over stimulating and over active.
I run courses and workshops tailored to the needs of your school.
Recommendation
It started with a conversation around a child. How could we support the child in recognising that the way they reacted to their emotions was a choice they had made, it was not controlled by others. Several weeks later Sue and I were sitting in our classroom across from a smiley face which belonged to Suryacitta. Were we open minded? Yes. Were we apprehensive? Yes. Had either of us ever engaged in exploring this pathway previously? No. Did we know what to expect? No. We had spent years supporting the most challenging of primary school aged children, nurturing them, preparing them for secondary school, guiding them and challenging them to take a risk; Sue and I were about to take our own risk and begin an eye opening journey. Who would of thought that being quiet could be so comforting, that spending some time on yourself, giving yourself some much needed attention would lead to you looking at ‘things’ so differently. Three sessions later we are learning new skills, recognising that to better support and understand our pupils we need to give ourselves some time, attention and nurturing. Learning to meditate at first can be a nervous experience but it is surprisingly comforting and both of us have found that after our sessions we feel peaceful, happier. Sue and I continue on our journey, its lovely not knowing the destination, just enjoying the scenery; we are blessed to have Suryacitta holding our hand; the one thing we both feel sure of is our pupils and ourselves will benefit from our journey.
Donna MacDonald & Sue Kelly - Huntingdon Primary School
If you are interested in knowing more please contact Suryacitta Malcolm Smith on happybuddhauk@yahoo.com
Pupils in public school benefit from one weekly 40 minute mindfulness session
This is a really simple and lovely short video on mindfulness from the Mindfulness in schools project website from Kung fu Panda 
Po thinks he is rubbish at everything. he worries about what has been and what may come but gets a lesson in mindfulness from the wise old turtle Oogway. 
