Mindfulness Begins with You

Mindfulness helps us to experience reality clearly and consciously, without pushing anything away or trivializing or over-analyzing certain situations. Being mindful is not something you do from time to time—it’s a way of life. In this first lesson, we begin with an exploration of what mindfulness is. Because we can only teach kids to be mindful when we are mindful ourselves, we will also learn basic techniques for practicing mindfulness in our own lives.

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define mindfulness
• Explain the importance of role modeling mindfulness for children
• Describe the importance of examining, understanding, and articulating the mindfulness experience
• Summarize your motivations for teaching mindfulness to the children in your life
• Identify the four stepping stones to practicing mindfulness