.jpg "Utkatasana (chair pose)")
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The buzz around 'mindfulness' meditation techniques continues to roll. Last week, national papers reported that pupils at Tonbridge School in Kent are to receive weekly meditation classes based on mindfulness techniques.
The move is the first occasion that meditation skills have been introduced in the UK on a regular basis, and follows a successful pilot study at the school last year.
The course, comprising 40-minute meditation sessions, will run over eight weeks, and is aimed at developing concentration skills, as well as skills to counter problems - such as anxiety - that could later develop into depression.
Mindfulness techniques, based on aspects of Buddhism, are increasingly used in the West to centre and focus the mind; leading to greater clarity of thought, and relaxation.
The essential (simple, but challenging in practice) idea is to de-clutter the mind and become present and aware, rather than allowing the mind to constantly shoot off at tangents and 'take over'.
They are now also used in a clinical setting, for those suffering from depression or anxiety.
The arrival of mindfulness meditation techniques on a school curriculum is sure to raise eyebrows at first.
But the rewards of practising them can be many, and children, just as much as adults, will benefit hugely from feeling more aware, relaxed and centred.
For more on mindfulness, click here:
www.yoga-abode.com/ybites/resting_in_awareness
www.yoga-abode.com/blog/mindful_eating
Lucia Cockcroft, editor