Mind Muscle: Mindfulness for Kids and Teens

Teach your kids to meditate.

"MIND MUSCLE" is a series of original mindful lessons for kids and teens on how to release stress and manage anxiety.

This course is intended for purchase by adults—parents, teachers, and therapists—working with young ones to educate them on mindfulness & meditation in easy-to-understand, research-based, entertaining lessons with accompanying meditations.

These 10-15 minute videos are designed to ground students, introduce a new mindfulness concept with original animations, and then help them meditate and contemplate the practice. Each lesson ends with a takeaway. And each lesson has its own accompanying set of worksheets related to the topic to help drive the main points home.

Each video is structured as follows:

• Moment to Arrive (30-60 seconds) - A short grounding meditation to get the student ready for the material.

• Lesson (3-5 minutes) - In this section, Melena articulates the concept itself and examples of how they are experienced in the world. There are also practical tips for how to use the technique in everyday life. In the first section, “Noticing Your Thoughts” there is a visual of pepper in a glass of water. There is an analogy of clouds as thoughts in the sky.

• Meditation (5-7 minutes) - Depending on each lesson itself, there is a specific meditation technique that is directly relevant to the lesson. There is also a meditation visualization with a timer to help kids enter into the meditative state, and be aware of how long the meditation will last in the lesson.

• Takeaway (1-3 minutes) - Finally, Melena signs off with a brief recap of the lesson, and gratitude for attending.

MIND MUSCLE Topics:

1) Noticing Your Thoughts (+ Meditation: “Open Awareness”)

2) You’re Not Alone (+ Meditation: “Body Scan”)

3) Mind-Body Connection (+ Meditation: “Sensations”)

4) Building Empathy (+ Meditation: “Empathy Visualization”)

5) Establishing Your Own Practice (+ Meditation: “Consistent Intention”)

“It’s bringing helpful tools for the kids to be more grounded in life.” —Sameh N., Creative Director & father of three

“The presenter is very engaging and has a calming presence. The visual aid for the breathing exercises was simple but effective. The language was technical and educational, but not to the point of detracting from the practice itself.” —Ryan A., Child Psychotherapist

Research studies informing the material:

Beauchemin, J., Hutchins, T. L., & Patterson, F. (2008). Mindfulness meditation may lessen anxiety, promote social skills, and improve academic performance among adolescents with learning disabilities. Complimentary Health Practice Review, 13(1), 34-45.

Bigdeli, S., and Bai, H. (2009). The triunal model of anxiety and its application to anxiety reduction in learning and teaching environments. TESL Canada Journal, 27(1), 103-114.

Franco, C., Mañas, I., Cangas, A. J., & Gallego, J. (2010). The applications of mindfulness with students of secondary school: Results on the academic performance, self-concept and anxiety. Knowledge Management, Information Systems, E-learning, and Sustainability Research 111.

Leland, M. (2015). Mindfulness and student success. Journal of Adult Education, 44(1), 19-24.

Who this course is for:

• Kids and teens interested in reducing anxiety, accepting themselves, and relating to others more easily
• Kids and teens wanting to learn how to meditate