The ability to recognize the moment of impulse
is very useful and empowering.
"Mindfulness is paying attention
to what is happening right now
with kindness and curiosity."
Paying Attention
Have you ever...
... eaten a meal or driven somewhere and realized you didn’t taste the food or remember the drive?
Paying attention is a skill—one we can learn and practice.
But what are we actually paying attention to?
Our thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and the world around us.
When young people seem distracted, it’s not always defiance. Something might be pulling their attention and they may not even realize it.
Is it fear? Confusion? Joy? Calm? Something else entirely?
Paying attention is essential, we need it for everything!
But with so much competing for our focus, it can be a challenge.
Mindfulness helps by giving us lots of practice.
We build our attention muscle by choosing where to focus and gently bringing it back when it drifts, again and again.
This builds self-awareness and self-regulation, helping us stay grounded in daily life.
Stronger focus means better learning, self-care, and relationships.
Right Now
The present moment is the one we avoid the most!
Research shows that 46.9% of our waking hours are spent doing one thing while thinking about something else. This mind-wandering leads to unhappiness. (Harvard Gazette)
Our minds love to drift—past or future!
Some thoughts stir emotions that lead to words or actions we later regret.
"Bad behavior" is a lack of self-regulation.
Self-regulation is a skill that can be
taught and practiced."
Being more present helps us focus, choose wisely, connect better, and stay grounded in what matters most.
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
-Viktor Frankl
Have you ever...
... said something to your parent, child, student, friend, co-worker, or loved one that you instantly wished you could take back? Or had one of them say or do something that left you speechless?
Mindfulness helps us pause, creating space between what happens and how we respond, so we can choose calm, kind, and wiser actions.
We won’t always avoid impulsive moments (that’s human!), but we can practice compassion, patience, and forgiveness, for ourselves and others
Kindness and Curiosity.
Have you ever...
... been stuck in traffic or in a slow-moving line thinking,“Why is this happening to me?” or “This is awful”?
In those moments, we often get caught in a swirl of judgment and frustration, causing tension in our body, mind, and heart.
Mindfulness invites us to meet discomfort with curiosity and kindness.
Whether we’re facing good times or tough ones, this shift helps both students and adults move through life with more ease.
By changing how we relate to an experience, we change how we feel, think, and respond, with more compassion.
Simple reflections can turn stress into a moment of awareness and a little less stressful.
“That’s interesting…”
“I wonder what’s going on…” “Wow, my shoulders feel tense.” what am i thinking right now..."
"Interesting I'm judging again..." “Let me take 3 mindful breaths.”
Curiosity and kindness is seeing with new eyes.
We have ideas and opinions about everything!
Calculating the advantages and disadvantages of every choice we or others make at high speed.
Through mindfulness, we learn to notice experiences, pleasant or not, without reacting, clinging, or pushing them away. And when we do judge, we practice not judging ourselves for it.
“The real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in seeing with new eyes.” —Marcel Proust
Being present with curiosity and kindness helps students and adults shift perspective.
Not by avoiding discomfort, but by stepping out of automatic reactions and tapping into inner strength and resilience, no matter what life brings.
“Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it
one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
Formal and Informal Practice
Formal Practice
Formal mindfulness practice means intentionally setting aside time to be fully present—with curiosity and kindness.
Some common formal practices include:
-
Mindfulness with the five senses
-
Mindful eating
-
Body scan
-
Sitting practice
-
Walking meditation
-
Heartfulness practice
In formal practice, we focus on an anchor—our chosen object of attention. Like a boat’s anchor, it helps bring the mind back when it drifts.
When thoughts arise (as they will), we don’t judge or push them away.
We simply notice them and gently return our attention to the anchor.
Informal Practice
Formal practice becomes informal when we bring present-moment awareness—along with curiosity and kindness, into everyday activities.
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A mindful meal becomes a mindful bite
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Walking practice becomes walking to class
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Sitting practice becomes three mindful breaths
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A body scan becomes noticing toes in shoes
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Even brushing teeth or washing hands can be mindful moments
Students learn to bring this awareness into whatever they do, whether it’s dance, music, sports, hobbies, or daily routines.
"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott
A Little History
Mindfulness techniques can be found in many ancient contemplative, philosophical and religious traditions worldwide practiced for thousands years including Hinduism, Buddhism, Stoicism, and indigenous traditions in Africa and the Americas.
World-renowned scientist, mindfulness teacher, and writer, Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn, is attributed to bringing mindfulness mainstream in medicine in 1979.
Adapted to our Western lifestyle in a secular way allows for inclusivity, diversity, equity, welcoming everyone to explore and discovering the practice's gifts.
Today, mindfulness has become an important influence in medicine, psychology, corporations, military and education.
"All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions.” – Leonardo da Vinci
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