THE RESEARCH SAYS... There is no secret that meditation is linked to stress relief, anxiety/depression reduction, and emotion regulation. For children, especially teens, these mindfulness practices come at such a critical time. Regular exposure to breathing exercises, body scans, guided or silent meditation and yoga can have direct impact on the way young people relate to themselves and others. These awakening practices, when practiced regularly, can literally change the brain against it's negativity bias and flight-flight-freeze responses to stress. The photos above are taken from my experiences as a Calm Classroom instructor on Chicago's south and west sides of the city in k-2 classrooms, Chicago Public Schools.
Growing Up Mindful: Essential Practices to help Children, Teens, and Families find Balance, Calm, and Resilience - Christopher Willard Child's Mind: Mindfulness Practices to help our children become more Focused, Calm, and Relaxed - Christopher Willard Happy Teachers Change the World: A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education - Thich Nhat Hanh Brainstorm - Dan Siegel Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Cam, Confidence - Rick Hanson Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of happiness, love and Wisdom - Rick Hanson The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Bessel Van der Kolk Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of the Body and Mind to face Stress, Pain, and Illness - Jon Kabat-Zinn Wherever You go, There you Are - Jon Kabat-Zinn The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology - Jack Cornfield The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions - Christopher Germer Yes, Your Teen is Crazy! - Michael Bradley Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain - Zaretta Hammond Overcoming Trauma through Yoga: Reclaiming your Body - David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper Trauma and the Body - Ogden, Milton, Pain Rewire your Anxious Brain: How to use the Neuroscience of Fear to end Anxiety, Panic and Worry - Catherine Pittman + Elizabeth Karle Meditation 24/7 - Practices to Enlighten every Moment of the Day - Camille Maurine and Lorin Roche Breathtaking: Lessons in breathing to enhance your health and joy of living - Lorin Roche Your Body knows the Answer: Using your Felt Sense to solve problems, Effect Change and Liberate Creativity - David Rome Thoughts are not the Enemy: An Innovative Approach to Meditation Practice - Jason Siff Trauma-Sensitive Yoga in Therapy: Bringing the Body into Treatment - David Emerson The little Book of Circle Processes: A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking - Kay Pranis Preparing Youth to THRIVE: Promising Practices for Social & Emotional Learning: Charles Smith, Gina McGovern, et al Trauma and Recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror - Judith Herman Inherited Trauma: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who we Are and How we End the Cycle - Mark Wolynn Yoga for Grief and Loss - Karla Helbert Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working through Grief - Martha Whitmore Hickman Finding Joyful Life in the Heart of Pain - Darlene Cohen Tapping In: A step-by-step guide to activating your healing resources through bilateral stimulation - Laurel Parnell The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to reverse the course of depression one small step at a time - Alex Korr The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times - Pema Chödrön The Wisdom of no Escape- Pema Chödrön Be Here Now - Ram Das Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying - Ram Das Tattoos on the Heart - Gregory Boyle Real Love - Sharon Salzberg Real Happiness - Sharon Salzberg A year to Live - Stephen Levine Refuge Recovery - Noah Levine Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach Braving the Wilderness - Brené Brown The Gifts of Imperfection - Brené Brown The Surrender Experiment - Michael Singer Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda - Lauren Alderfer I feel...DJ Corchin I am Me: A book of Authenticity - Susan Verde The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, The Cool Bean, The Smart Cookie, The Couch Potato - Jory John