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Dear Family,
Our classroom is starting a new program called Inner Explorer as part of our mindfulness based social emotional learning (MBSEL) curriculum to help support students’ mental health and academic success. The program helps students cultivate lifelong tools to:
- better manage anxiety and stress
- enhance the ability to focus
- improve self-awareness and compassion
- develop a positive sense of wellness
In addition to these benefits, several studies indicate that a daily mindfulness practice can improve behavioral aptitude, resilience, and overall sense of well being.
Each day the class will participate in a 5-10 minute practice via a web-based program. The sessions will take place during the normal school day and do not require changes to the regular school curriculum. Main topics include breathing and relaxation exercises, as well as awarenessof the senses, thoughts, emotions, choices, and compassion for others.
We are thrilled to be participating in a program that has shown benefits across a wide spectrum of applications , including education. Currently several US agencies are funding research on attention and awareness training because the practices are easy to learn, require very little equipment, and have no side effects while showing significant enhancements to cognitive function and decreases in stress response.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) is funding attention and awareness research to improve health and reduce conditions including depression, anxiety, and ADHD. The US Department of Education is funding research to improve academic achievement and behavioral competence. The US Army is funding research to help our troops improve their working memory capacity to make better decisions while on the front lines. Mindfulness is needed in schools, now more thanever, to reduce the negative effects of stress, increase the students’ ability to stay focused and present, and support positive mental health during these turbulent times.
To learn more about this program from Inner Explorer and to find more resources, please visit www.InnerExplorer.org.
Yours truly,
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