Spark Insight Journal – Page 4 – Mindfulness Area
Mindfulness definitely needs no introduction with it being such a buzzword this decade. So many of you were also intrigued by the ‘how and what’ of our Spark Mindfulness Area, so let’s jump straight into what mindfulness looks like for the Spark Learners.
Mindfulness for us is to find our calm, reset our bodies, take a step back, and pause. It can be a break or a calming strategy outlet. It looks like all of the below.
- Reading a book in the library to take a pause.
- Using the tangible breathing prompts – Star, Box, and Palm Breathing when BIG feelings visit us, when we are tired, or when we just need to pause. Oh! and also Blow on the Pinwheel for an elongated exhale that is ever so calming…
- Using the calming strategies jar- to help us choose a strategy and take a brain break. Some of these include- counting to 10, looking outside, taking a walk, drawing a picture, taking 3 belly breaths, etc.
- Paint a picture in the painting area- to bring us back to the present moment and also see the interplay of colors and let loose our imagination. Switching to our left brain for a bit.
- Using the meditation pillow to close our eyes and find stillness.
- Using the mindfulness desk to look at the Grace and Courtesy book, to stare at a candle or at the hourglass to bring us back at the moment.
- Relevant books, circle time discussions, and In-studio & Spark Play experiences also add to this area on a daily.
We know that habits formed early in life will inform behaviors in adulthood, and with mindfulness, we have the opportunity to give our learners the tools for being peaceful, kind, and accepting. We also speak of how our tiny neurons help our brain grow and learn to integrate a growth mindset and tie it into mindfulness even further. Our mindfulness area has visitors by the minute, and all we know is it truly completes our experience in the studio.
