Preschool Mindfulness Summit Speaker Info
Helen Maffini • https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindBE/
Join the MindBE Preschool Mindfulness Curriculum
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Helen is the Director of MindBE Education and the creator of the MindBE Curriculum and the Thriving Kids Program, She is the host of the 2018 Preschool Mindfulness Summit and Co-Author of Developing Children´s Emotional Intelligence and Sammy´s Next Move.
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Books: Developing Children’s Emotional Intelligence (Bloomsbury Education) |
Sammy’s Next Move: Sammy the snail is a travelling snail who lives in different countries  |
Alexandra Koster • https://www.rootsandwings.pub/
Session Title: Everyday mindfulness – how a mindful attitude/lifestyle can make a positive difference to raising and educating children.
My name is Alex Koster and I’m a mum, teacher, mindfulness practitioner and author of the book “Roots and Wing – Childhood needs a Revolution” and “Mindful Games”.
Free Learning Resource Downloadables
Roots and Wings – Childhood needs a Revolution Mindful Games
What you will learn:
I believe that mindfulness should be an integral part of everyday living, not just for our children but for all of us. If we apply a mindful attitude with key concepts such as kindness, gratitude and self-compassion to our everyday routines and interactions, we will automatically slow down and become more aware of ourselves and our surrounds. It can be useful to make conscious small changes and adjustments to our environments and attitudes, which will have a positive
impact on our ability to live a more mindful life. It seems that people sometimes think of mindfulness as an additional piece of an already busy day, another activity to find time for. When we integrate mindfulness in small steps and simple changes to attitudes, environment and activities, a mindful lifestyle can develop more naturally. Every family has different priorities and needs, every child is different, which means that adjustments for everyone are different. The same goes for pre-schools and other educational settings, there is no one size fits all approach. If there were three general areas I would have to narrow tools for positive changes down to, they would be: connecting children playfully with nature, simplifying their lives and teaching them some important mindful life skills and attitudes such as simple breathing techniques, emotional awareness, kindness, gratitude and self-compassion. I will be giving some ideas for simple but effective tools, activities and adjustments that will help children (and grownups ;-)) to live more mindfully and that are easily adapted to suit different age-groups, preferences and settings.
Allison Morgan • https://zensationalkids.com/
Session Title: Mindfulness for self-regulation
Allison is a pediatric occupational therapist, yoga and mindfulness trainer who has been working with youth for over 25 years. She is the CEO and founder of Zensational Kids, an educational company partnering with schools to help them implement mindfulness into the culture. She has written a curriculum for introducing mindfulness to students pre-K through High School to help them manage stress, regulates their emotions, focus their attention and develop inner resilience.
Free Resources: The Ready to Regulate Toolkit
What you will learn:
In this session, listeners will learn how to help preschool children access and regulate their nervous system so that they are able to calm, cope and communicate with greater ease. We will discuss the importance of developing regulatory skills for the caregiver as well as the child , especially when working with children who have experienced trauma. We will explore how regulation becomes the foundation for building skills in relationship and communication as well.
Bonnie Weiss • http://www.theschoolofmindfularts.org/
Session Title: Mindfulness in Waldorf and Montessori Education
Bonnie Weiss is the owner of The School of Mindful Arts, teaching meditation, art, multiculturalism, and sustainability to children ages 3-18. Her teaching background includes working in both Waldorf and Montessori schools. Since beginning teaching mindfulness to children several years ago, this foundation of pedagogies of whole child education has greatly informed her contemplative teaching style.
Free Resources: Suggested Elements for a Peace Place in a PK Classroom or Home
What you will learn:
Although Montessori and Waldorf education were both started decades before Jon Kabat-Zinn coined the term “mindfulness” both pedagogies have many elements in common with mindfulness education. In this talk, teachers and parents will learn about the philosophies and practices in both schools that were almost prescient of the mindfulness movement. This session will strive to inspire viewers to artfully weave contemplative practices from all three methodologies into their classrooms and families.
Caverly Morgan • https://www.peaceinschools.org/
Facebook • YouTube • Instagram
Session Title: Checking our Assumptions About Teaching Mindfulness to Children
Caverly is the Founder and Head of Practice of Peace in Schools, which created the nations first, semester long, credited course in Mindfulness. Caverly leads the Peace in Schools teaching team, creates curricula, and works directly with teens and adults. She has been practicing mindfulness since 1995, including eight years in a monastic setting. Caverly speaks publicly at conferences and has been featured in many publications including Mindful Magazine and The New York Times. Caverly is also the Founder of Presence Collective.
Free Learning Resources: GUIDED MEDITATION FROM PEACE IN SCHOOLS STUDENT
What you will learn:
We have a lot of evidence to support the benefit of mindfulness. Through Peace in Schools we’ve also witnessed first-hand the transformative power of sharing deep contemplative practice with teens. Are we taking into account the developmental stages of children as we bring mindfulness to kids? Do we sometimes assume that what we’ve experienced as helpful for teens and adults will be helpful for children, without questioning the importance of their natural developmental? Are our good intentions even sometimes potentially interfering with the healthy development of the will or the embodied experience of emotions? We’ll explore these questions in this call, as well as focus on an alternative that can be relied upon.
Crystal McCreary • http://crystalmccrearyyoga.com/
Session Title: Making Classroom Management Magic: Mindful Strategies for Creating Safety, Compassionate Relationships and Culture for All Learners
Crystal McCreary is a yoga, mindfulness and health educator, actor, speaker and writer. Her career in education that spans 15 years has included working as an elementary school teacher, a yoga and mindfulness specialist and health educator in detention centers, public, charter and independent school settings. She currently works as a health and wellness educator at The Dalton School and is involved with organizations that aim to support youth with embodied contemplative practice including Mindful Schools, Bent on Learning, and Lineage Project. Crystal’s programs with adults and kids all emphasize self-care as the gateway to social justice and community healing in the world.
Free Learning Resources: Put Your Oxygen Mask on First: Gentle Morning Yoga Sequence
You are a star. While you may have forgotten this truth about who you are, the students you teach have not.
Though the behaviors your students demonstrate may not always reflect their highest regard for you, themselves, or learning in the classroom, here is the truth: children and adolescents see the
teachers and caregivers in their lives as the gateway to “magic”, fun and a more vibrant life. When we fail to embody these essential qualities in our teaching, we lose our kids’ attention (and respect) and become less effective teachers.
This discussion will offer a practical approach to classroom management that transforms the notion of classroom challenges and breakdowns (that are a natural part of teaching and group learning) into opportunities to deepen connections and grow, and re-vision and clarify an inspiring intention for your teaching that enhances student learning
Dr. Christopher Willard • http://drchristopherwillard.com/
Dr. Christopher Willard (PsyD) is a psychologist and educational consultant based in Boston specializing in mindfulness. He has been practicing meditation for 20 years, and has led hundreds of workshops around the world, with invitations to more than two dozen countries. He has presented at TEDx conferences and his thoughts have appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, and elsewhere. He is the author of Alphabreaths, Growing Up Mindful (2016) Raising Resilience (2017) and eight other books for parents, professionals and children, available in more than ten languages. He teaches at Harvard Medical School.
What you will learn: Simple mind-body practices to boost concentration, compassion, creativity and more.
Freebie: Animated Gifs and Videos
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Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing
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Raising Resilience: The Wisdom and Science of Happy Families and Thriving Children
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Dr. Dan Siegel • https://www.drdansiegel.com/
Session Title: The Power of Showing Up
Dr. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of
the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which
focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and
communities.
Dr. Siegel has published extensively for both the professional and lay audiences. His five New York Times bestsellers
are: Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, Brainstorm: The
Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, and two books with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D: The Whole-Brain Child, and
No-Drama Discipline. His other books include: The Developing Mind, The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal
Neurobiology, Mindsight, The Mindful Brain, The Mindful Therapist, and also with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. – The
Yes Brain and The Power of Showing Up (released January 2020). Dr. Siegel also serves as the Founding Editor for
the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology which contains over seventy textbooks.
Free Learning Resources: Parenting Video
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
Dr. Elizabeth Erwin • https://www.montclair.edu/~erwinel
Session Title: “Breathe in Blue Skies”: A Deeper Inquiry into Mindfulness and Early Childhood Education
Dr. Elizabeth Joy Erwin is Professor at Montclair State University where she prepares current and future teachers to think critically, reflect deeply and teach inclusively. In pursuit of social action – locally and globally – Elizabeth has published widely in prestigious academic journals, and authored multiple books and chapters on a variety of topics on early childhood inclusive education such as mindfulness, well-being, self-determination and family-professional partnerships. She has engaged in educational inquiry and projects with universities around the world. Her forthcoming book on mindfulness and early childhood education will be published in the fall. Elizabeth currently lives in New York City where she practices yoga and meditation every day.
What you will learn:
In this interview Dr. Erwin offers an in-depth look at the power of presence in early childhood education today and discusses diverse perspectives and implications for young children. Specific mindfulness strategies and ideas for classroom or home practice will be explored.
Free Learning Resource:
Erwin, E. J. (2017). Transparency in early childhood education: What the west can learn from Australia’s focus on well-being. Global Education Review, 4 (3), 56-69.
Dr. Genevieve Von Lob • https://www.drgenevieve.com/
Session Title: 5 Deep Breaths
Dr Genevieve von Lob is a British Clinical psychologist who has worked with children, teenagers and parents from every type of background during a 15-year career. Genevieve is the author of “Five Deep Breaths: The Power of Mindful Parenting” published by Penguin. She is on a mission to empower parents to trust themselves and go on a journey of transformation, and views mindfulness as an important part of this. Genevieve is a mum to one daughter and loves music, singing and walks in nature.
What you will learn:
Dr Genevieve will discuss the pressures facing us as parents in the world today, and how a mindful approach can help provide a sense of calm, confidence, compassion and connection both within ourselves and with our children. She will talk about some useful practical tips based on mindfulness which parents can use in their everyday lives.
Free Learning Resources: Chapter from Five Deep Breaths
Book: Five Deep Breaths
![Five Deep Breaths: The Power of Mindful Parenting by [Von Lob, Genevieve]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41B-mo-Pm7L.jpg)
Dr. Nicole Libin • http://followyourbreath.com/
Session Title: Befriending the nervous system with mindfulness
Dr. Nicole Libin is a certified mindfulness educator, adjunct professor, and author. She has designed and facilitated mindfulness curricula and other courses for Mindful Schools, Mount Royal University, and numerous private organizations. Nicole is the author of three books on mindfulness (with one on positive parenting coming next year). Her children’s book Sticky Brains, a mindfulness and brain science picture book for children will be available early 2020. Her other two books, Mindful Parenting in a Chaotic World and 5-Minute Mindfulness Meditations for Teens are designed to be accessible, straightforward, and applicable in the real world, not just for sitting on a cushion in the dark. Nicole teaches mindfulness and meditation with compassion, humour, and authenticity plus a side of sarcasm and unapologetic irreverence. She focuses on inspiring students to trust their own wisdom and find ease in their bodies, hearts, and minds.
Free Learning Resource: Sticky Brains
What you will learn:
In this session, participants will explore the basics of negativity bias and neuroplasticity, in language and images that work for the youngest audiences. Nicole will explore how to use what we know about the nervous system to help parents, teachers, and other caregivers find their own stillness amid the chaos and delight that preschoolers bring to the world.
Dr. Rick Hanson • http://www.rickhanson.net/
Session Title: Educating Mindful Minds
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 26 languages and include Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. He edits the Wise Brain Bulletin and has numerous audio programs. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, he’s been an invited speaker at NASA, Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, and other major universities, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. His work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, and NPR, and he offers the free Just One Thing newsletter with 140,000 subscribers, plus the online Foundations of Well-Being program in positive neuroplasticity that anyone with financial need can do for free.
What you will learn:
Numerous studies are finding that stress, anxiety, and mental health issues are on the rise in children and adults. The American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2017 Stress in America™ survey found that two-thirds of adults are stressed about the future. The survey also found that Millennials reported higher average stress than before and that teens are the most stressed people in America, with 27 percent reporting “extreme stress” during the school year. Additionally, a 2016 report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that 46 percent of American teachers feel high daily stress.
Fortunately, new brain and psychological research is showing that meditation and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can dramatically reduce stress and improve wellbeing and achievement. The talk will cover: the benefits of mindfulness meditation, class management, and SEL in schools; strategies to reduce student stress and behavioral problems and raise resilience; and ways to reduce teacher burnout and boost retention.
Free Learning Resource: 3 Free Meditations to hardwire more happiness, calm, and confidence into your brain and life.
Book: https://www.rickhanson.net/resilient/
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Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness |
Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence
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Dr. Ronald D. Siegel • http://www.mindfulness-solution.com/
Session Title: Mindfulness: Tools for Wise & Compassionate Parenting
Assistant Professor of Psychology, part time, Harvard Medical School; serves on the Board of Directors and faculty, Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy; long time student of mindfulness meditation; teaches internationally about the application of mindfulness practice in psychotherapy and other fields; is author of numerous books including The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems; is professor for The Science of Mindfulness: A Research-Based Path to Well-Being produced by The Great Courses.
What you will learn:
The research data is clear: how we parent our kids has a huge impact on their development. But what are the most important elements in successful parenting? How can we use mindfulness practices to be the best parent we can be? Tune in to hear answers to these questions from a clinical psychologist who is both an expert in mindfulness practices and has decades of experience working professionally with parents and children.
Free Learning Resource: Free Video: The Science of Mindfulness
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The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems |
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Dr. Susan Pollak • https://www.drsusanpollak.com/
Session Title: I Don’t Have Time to Meditate!
Dr. Susan Pollak is a co-founder and senior teacher of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Harvard Medical School, at Cambridge Health Alliance, where she has taught for nearly 30 years. Dr. Pollak is the Co-editor of The Cultural Transition (with Merry White, reissued in 2010); Co-author of Sitting Together: Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy, with Thomas Pedulla and Ronald Siegel; Contributing author of Mapping the Moral Domain (edited by Carol Gilligan); Contributing author of Evocative Objects (edited by Sherry Turkle); Contributing author of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, 2nd edition, and the upcoming Self-Compassion for Parents (2019). She also writes The Art of Now, blog for Psychology Today. She is the President of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.
What you will learn:
So many parents complain that they don’t have time to meditate even though they know it could help. In this presentation I will teach meditations that you can do with your eyes open and that take under three minutes. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to sit still, close your eyes, or sit for hours for the practices to be effective.
Free Learning Resource: Audios of practices plus many essays, chapter excerpts on my website.
Self-Compassion for Parents Nurture Your Child by Caring for Yourself
Dr. Elisha Goldstein • https://elishagoldstein.com/
Session Title: Uncovering Mindfulness
Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. is co-founder of The Center for Mindful Living in West Los Angeles and creator of the 6-month coaching program A Course in Mindful Living. He is a psychologist, author and speaker who synthesizes the pearls of traditional psychotherapy with a progressive integration of mindfulness to achieve mental and emotional healing. Dr. Goldstein contends that we have the power to transform our traumas and habitual patterns that keep us stuck in perpetual cycles of stress, anxiety, depression, or addiction and step into greater freedom and peace. He offers practical strategies to calm our anxious minds, transform negative emotions, and facilitate greater self acceptance, freedom and inner peace.
Dr. Goldstein has published extensively and is author of numerous articles, chapters, and blogs, including the bestselling books (translated in 12 languages) Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Retreat information: Find out about Stefanie and Elisha’s Mindful Family Retreat
Free Learning Resources : Videos
Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Elizabeth Frink • https://www.yogacalm.org/
Session Title: Talking to Preschoolers About the Brain
My name is Liz Frink and I am a certified Yoga Calm Youth Instructor. I have been teaching Yoga Calm and mindfulness to kids ages 3-5 and their families for the past three years. I am also a Mindful Mentor for our district and our Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programming. Part of my role as a Mindful Mentor is to bring mindfulness to our Discovery Learning Preschool Families by: Visiting classrooms and introducing mindfulness, being a guest speaker in our Parent Education sessions to talk about our district’s mindfulness curriculum, providing staff with resources, visuals, ideas, flows, etc to bring into their classrooms and/or specific behaviors, leading family days with parent/child mindfulness activities, and finally, teaching a Yoga Calm class for kids age 3-5 and their grown-ups.
Free Resources: Yoga Calm’s Five Principles
What you will learn:
Talking to preschoolers about the brain, our ‘smart brain’ and our ‘lizard brain’. Introducing the glitter ball with breathing techniques. A simple relaxation technique to find stillness in our bodies.
Jennifer Fraser • https://www.neuroparadigm.com/
Session Title: Tapping into Empathy Through Mindfulness
Dr. Jennifer Fraser is an educator and author. With a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, she is trained to take different discourses like education, neuroscience and mindfulness and put them into dialogue. She has a forthcoming book, The Bullied Brain: What Neuroscientists Know about Brain Scars and How to Heal Them.
Free Resources: Early Childhood Developing Brain Introduction
Coupon Code: mycouponcode100
What you will learn:
Learning how to harness empathy through mindfulness practice is not only excellent for babies and toddlers, it’s also extremely healthy for the practitioner’s brain. In this interview, we will discuss the neuroscience of empathy and mindfulness as a tool to access it.
Jennifer Miller, MEd. • https://confidentparentsconfidentkids.org
Session Title: Attuning to Children’s Unique Melodic Theme; Identifying and Understanding Children’s Temperaments to Build Social and Emotional Skills and Caring Relationships
Jennifer Miller is author and illustrator of the new book, “Confident Parents, Confident Kids: Raising Emotional Intelligence In Ourselves and Our Kids — From Toddlers to Teenagers.” For twenty-five years, she’s worked with educators and families to help them become more effective with children through social and emotional learning. She writes for numerous publications including PBS Kids, NBC Parent Toolkit, and Highlights for Children. She consults, coaches and conducts action research. She lives with her husband and twelve-year-old son in Columbus, Ohio.
What you will learn:
Do you notice preschoolers withdrawing from new challenges or diving in? Do you notice some are sensitive to sound or touch? Are some children high on intensity while others are more laid back? All children’s natural born emotional reflexes or temperaments are rigged for their survival and thriving. So how can we, as educators and parents, learn about each child’s unique set of temperaments and how they interact with our own in order to build from their strengths and deepen our caring connections?
Free Resources: Melodic Themes (Temperament) Assessment
Julie Potiker • http://www.mindfulmethodsforlife.com/
Session Title: Best Self-Care Tip? Be Your Own BFF
Mindfulness expert and author Julie Potiker is an attorney who began her serious study and investigation of mindfulness after graduating from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of California, San Diego. She went on to become trained to teach Mindful Self-Compassion, and completed the Positive Neuroplasticity Training Professional Course with Rick Hanson. Now, she shares these and other mindfulness techniques with the world through her Mindful Methods for Life trainings and her new book: “Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm In the Midst of Chaos.” For more information, visit www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com.
What you will learn:
A lack of self-care can leave you feeling unlovable, and that can make it very difficult to connect with others, which we are hardwired to do. This disconnection can then lead to depression, and things spiral out from there. Be your own BFF so you can always count on YOU, even when the hurt or chaos may be coming from the closest people and relationships in your life.
Free Learning Resource: Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker
Book: Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm In the Midst of Chaos
Katherine Weare
Session Title: Teachers Change the World
Katherine Weare is Emeritus Professor at the Universities of Exeter and Southampton in the UK. skw@soton.ac.uk
Katherine is the parent of three adoptive children. Originally a teacher before she moved to work in universities, she has focused throughout her life and her career on promoting the well-being of children and young people, and those who live and work with them. She has published widely in the field, reviewing the evidence base on ‘what works’, advising policy makers and governments, and developing practical strategies and programmes across Europe to promote positive wellbeing, tackle mental health problems and promote social and emotional skills focusing particularly on the need for joined up, holistic approaches. She has always been interested in meditation but 15 years ago took up formal mindfulness and trained as a teacher of MBSR/MBCT and has integrated this into her academic and practical work around wellbeing. She currently advises various mindfulness projects such as the UK Mindfulness in Schools Project, the Plum Village mindfulness community and the UK government. Her recent book, co-written a book with Thich Nhat Hanh ‘Happy Teachers Change The World: a guide to cultivating mindfulness in education’ has proved to be a best seller, and is currently being translated into a wide range of languages and launched across the world. She is a board member for Mind and Life Europe, a not for profit set up by the Dali Lama, and is currently working with them on a new project to develop networks, support and pilot projects across Europe to cultivate a whole child approach which includes hearts as well as minds.
Happy Teachers Change the World: A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education
Kristin Neff, PhD • www.self-compassion.org
Session Title: Bite-Sized Mindfulness
Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion over fifteen years ago. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she is author of the book “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself,” released by William Morrow. In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook is now available by Guilford, as well as Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. For more information on self-compassion, including a self-compassion test, research articles, practices, and Dr. Neff’s teaching schedule, go to www.self-compassion.org.
What you will learn:
You will learn how self-compassion is an invaluable resource for parents and teachers to help
prevent burnout and promote resilience.
Free Learning Resource: Self-Compassion Test
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook
Lani Gerszonovicz • https://a-zmindfulness.com/
Session Title: A-Z Mindfulness Strategies to promote Mindful Students-Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom and Beyond
Lani practiced her first mindful breath at age 8 which sparked a life-long journey of mind-body-breath exploration. She has taught yoga and mindfulness to thousands of PreK-12 students and educators since 2004 when her teaching journey began. She created A-Z Mindfulness as a fun, engaging, easy to follow program to support mindfulness education and wellness. She wrote Mindful Students to provide a scripted guide for educators, parents and mental health providers to introduce mindfulness to kids while being interested and inspired to practice.
What you will learn:
Learn A-Z Mindfulness strategies to share with students to keep them engaged and curious and learn why this program works. Parents, educators, administrators and mental health providers explore mindfulness through visualization, story- telling, movement, sound and breathing techniques with playful exercises that kids enjoy practicing. The activities are fun and engaging for both educators and students. Learn the A, B, C’s of mindfulness-Awareness (body, breath and senses), Buzz like a bee (one pointed concentration-train the mind), Cloud Meditation to let go of thoughts and many more. This session will inspire educators to share A-Z Mindfulness activities and empower students so they can learn to live mindfully.
Free Learning Resource: PDF tips to get started teaching meditation to kids with special needs.
Book: Mindful Students-Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom and Beyond (available online)
Louise Shanagher • https://www.louiseshanagher.com/
Session Title: Creative Mindfulness Practice for Children
Loiuse Shanagher is a children’s therapist, mindfulness teacher and Psychology lecturer from Ireland. Louise is passionate about sharing mindfulness and self compassion practices with children and those who work with them. She is the author of three books: The “Mindfully Me” series, Ireland’s first series of mindfulness books for children, the co author of Ireland’s first mindfulness curriculum for primary schools the “Mindful Heart” curriculum and the creator of “Creative Mindfulness Kids” children’s mindfulness teacher training.
Freebie: Mindfully Me workbook pages / Children’s Meditation Series
What you will learn:
This presentation will introduce creative, fun and child friendly methods of teachings mindfulness, self compassion and kindness practices to children.
Maria Gehl • https://www.zerotothree.org/mindfulness
Session Title: The Mindful Way to Tame Temper Tantrums
Maria is deeply committed to and passionate about supporting relationships, especially the earliest ones, with a spirit of nurturing and inquiry. In her current role, she does this by directing the Mindfulness in Early Childhood Project at ZERO TO THREE, a US nonprofit that aims to ensure all babies have a strong start in life. Maria’s current work focuses on increasing the understanding and use of mindfulness and compassion practices in early childhood settings and parenting. Maria also supports others in discovering creative ways to practice mindfulness and compassion through the Community of Mindful Parenting in Seattle.
Free Learning Resources: Getting Started with Mindfulness: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Organizations
What you will learn:
At ZERO TO THREE, we know that mindfulness is not only a personal practice or something to share with
parents and children. Integrating mindfulness and compassion strategies at an organizational level promotes
wellbeing and resilience of staff and contributes to a healthy work environment. Through our mindfulness in
early childhood project we’ve learned how early childhood organizations are increasingly using mindfulness
in their work and are excited to share our learning.
Mayuri Gonzalez • https://www.mbodiedwisdom.com/ https://www.littlefloweryoga.com/
Facebook #1 • Facebook #2 • Twitter #1 • Twitter #2
Session Title: Emdbodied Movement as a Playground for Mindfulness: Move to Feel…..Feel to be Present
Mayuri Gonzalez, Little Flower Yoga’s School Yoga Project Director, is a nationally recognized presenter, trainer, and instructor in mindfulness and children’s yoga with over 25 years of practice. For the last eight years, Gonzalez has worked with Little Flower Yoga as the director of the School Yoga Project, a program that brings yoga and mindfulness classes to more than 8,000 children each year in New York City schools and trains over 3,000 educators, administrators, and clinicians. She supervises teaching staff, directs internal staff development, and coordinates direct service yoga and mindfulness classes for school children, professional development trainings, and family engagement programs. She is a contributing author to Best Practices for Yoga in Schools, and the author of Yoga and Mindfulness for Teens Card Deck and Mindful Chair Yoga Card Deck.
What you will learn:
We think of yoga and mindfulness as still and quiet; but for kids, this is just a component of what mindfulness practices look like. Kids learn to be aware of themselves, others, and the world around them through games, songs, movement, play, and of course, by practicing stillness again and again.
Making mindfulness engaging and relevant for our youngest students can be a challenge if we don’t have some tricks up our sleeve. Movement and music are powerful tools to engage young students that ignite all areas of child development and skills for school readiness: intellectual, social and emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy.
Explore some of the ways, Mayuri Gonzalez, Little Flower Yoga’s School Yoga Project Director integrates music and movement into her mindfulness work with little ones to help them stay present in the moment and engaged in the learning.
Free Learning Resource: Chair Yoga, Movement and Music Resouces for Early Learners
Book: Mindful Chair Yoga Card Deck
Meena Srinivasan
https://www.meenasrinivasan.com/ • https://www.seleveryday.com/
https://www.teachbreathelearn.com/ • https://www.teleadership.org/
Facebook #1 • Facebook #2 • Facebook #3 • LinkedIn • Twitter #1 • Twitter #2
Session Title: Delighting in Presence
Meena Srinivasan, MA, National Board Certified Teacher, is a South Asian-American edupreneur with deep expertise in the fields of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mindful Awareness Practices (MAP). She is the Executive Director of Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL), an empowering, racially and culturally diverse, compassion-centered, innovative program for educational leaders who are called to integrate mindfulness-based, social, emotional, academic and ethical learning into schools and school systems. Prior to this role she spent five and a half years working in partnership with the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to implement SEL system-wide in the Oakland Unified School District. Meena has taught and led in a variety of school settings (public, private, urban, international) and holds a Clear Administrative Services Credential in the state of California. She is the author of Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness In and Out of the Classroom which was featured on Edutopia and SEL Every Day: Integrating SEL with Instruction in Secondary Classrooms which was chosen as one of 2019’s Favorite Books for Educators by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Meena’s article, Social and Emotional Learning Starts with Adults was one of ASCD’s 10 Best Express Articles of 2018. Her two comprehensive online courses, SEL Every Day for the Educator and SEL Every Day for the Leader will launch this April.
Meena is a student of the late Ramchandra Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson) and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Thich Nhat Hanh. She was a contributor to Thich Nhat Hanh’s bestselling books Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children (Parallax Press, 2011) and Happy Teachers Change the World: A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education (Parallax Press, 2017). Meena’s first book, Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness in and out of the Classroom (Parallax Press, 2014) was featured on Edutopia and her next book, SEL Every Day: Integrating SEL with Instruction in Secondary Classrooms (Norton, 2019) is part of Norton’s SEL Solutions Series edited by Tish Jennings. She also co-authored a chapter in Applied Mindfulness: Approaches in Mental Health for Children and Adolescents (American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2019) on “Mindfulness in School Settings” with leading Mindfulness in Education researcher, Lisa Flook.
Meena’s a Registered Yoga Teacher, served on the Board of Directors of the Mindfulness in Education Network, was Core Faculty of the Mindful Education Institute, and served on the Advisory Board of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum’s exhibit, Yoga: The Art of Transformation, the first major exhibition to explore yoga. Meena spent five years living in her ancestral homeland, India, studying contemplative practices while teaching at the American Embassy School and bringing mindfulness to educators and children across the region through Thich Nhat Hanh’s India based non-profit Ahimsa Trust. Meena also trained in teaching Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at UMASS Medical School’s Stress Reduction Clinic, is a recipient of the Hemera Foundation Contemplative Education Fellowship, was a Mind & Life Summer Research Institute Fellow, and received a bursary to study Sacred Activism at Schumacher College in the United Kingdom. She has been ordained into the Tiep Hien Lineage (Order of Interbeing) under Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 2010 and has been an active member of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism for more than 15 years.
Meena lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Eurasian-American, Emmy nominated filmmaker, Chihiro Wimbush and her toddler, Kailash Sora Wimbush.
Free Learning Resource: SEL Learning Targets
What you will learn:
One of the most powerful ways we can practice mindfulness with very young children is to delight in the power of being fully present with our presence. This talk will offer practices and perspectives from a new mother and longtime mindfulness practitioner and educator on how to both practice and share the practice with toddlers.
Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness in and out of the Classroom
Mine Conkbayir • https://mineconkbayir.co.uk/
Session Title: Neuroscience: what it tells us and what we need to know.
Mine is an award-winning author, trainer and PhD researcher. She has worked in early years for over 20 years. Mine is the winner of the Nursery Management Today (NMT) Top 5 Most Inspirational People in Childcare Award. She is the founder of the award-winning Cache Endorsed Learning Programme, Applying Neuroscience to Early Intervention and the two times award-winning online training programme,
Self-regulation in Early Years.
What you will learn:
Viewers will learn about (or consolidate their understanding of) neuroscience and its relevance to early childhood development. They will understand what the term neuroscience entails, what practitioners (and indeed everyone) can learn from certain findings from neuroscientific research and the fundamentally important role of self-regulation across the life trajectory – and their role in nurturing this life-essential set of skills, from birth.
Freebie: Purchase tickets for Preschool Neuroscience Conference from: https://mineconkbayir.co.uk/
20% off with this discount code: MINDBE20
Book: Early Childhood and Neuroscience: Theory, Research and Implications for Practice.
Renee Metty • http://www.thecoveschool.com/ http://www.withpause.com/
Session Title: Play Attention
Renee Metty founded a mindfulness based preschool in 2010 to support social emotional learning in early childhood and to create a different educational model of facilitated learning. She is passionate about transforming the current learning and education models. Renee now helps with developing leaders and organizations as a consultant and executive coach both in business and education.
Free Learning Resource: Mindfulness resources for adults and children
What you will learn:
Learn fun ways to integrate mindfulness in the preschool/early childhood classroom. Young children are already in the moment. However as children grow older many of them fail to develop more mature levels of self-regulation, impulse control, focus and concentration. By bringing awareness to their awareness at a young age we can strengthen skills that can be used throughout their lives. These skills are essential both in school and life and can be learned in fun and exciting ways. Let’s prepare them to be learning ready and able to handle their experiences with a greater ease.
Designed for our youngest children that will help you create optimal conditions for learning in the classroom.
Combining the senses and basic practices, you will learn how mindfulness can be easily integrated into whatever you are already doing in your day. These practices for children will also help you reconnect your mind and body. Because your role as a teacher is paramount in this process, you will learn a 3-step framework to increase your presence. Ultimately, you will walk away with practical tools that you can use immediately yourself and with your children to manage stress and promote self-regulation, learning readiness and a positive classroom environment. These developmentally appropriate practices will provide a renewed sense of hope for both you and your students.
Ruth Whiteside • https://www.celandt.org/
Session Title: Breaking the cycle of inter-generational ACEs
I taught for twenty years in primary schools including twelve years in a senior leadership role. I left teaching to concentrate on developing teachers through coaching and mentoring with a focus on building resilience and exploring emotional intelligence (EQ). My experience includes eight years at a mainstream primary school with provision for children dealing with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. This furthered my knowledge and understanding of why resilience and emotional intelligence are key to a greater understanding of self and others.
What you will learn:
Breaking the cycle of inter-generational ACEs: How can we provide opportunities for parents and families to understand and apply mindfulness to support both themselves and their child? In my talk I will explore how mindfulness practice can help adults and children deal with the aftermath of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Free Learning Resource: https://www.celandt.org/
Book: Adverse Childhood Experiences: why all the fuss?
Stefanie Goldstein, PhD • www.mindfullivingla.org / www.stefaniegoldsteinphd.com
Session Title: Raising a Mindful Culture
Stefanie Goldstein, Ph.D. is a busy mom to three boys, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Mindfulness Educator, and the co-founder of The Center for Mindful Living in West Los Angeles. She is also the co-creator of the Good Morning America featured popular teen program – CALM: Connecting Adolescents to Learning Mindfulness . Stefanie has helped public and private schools throughout the Los Angeles area to implement Mindfulness into their curriculum and communities. She is currently bringing Mindfulness to the Santa Monica-Malibu School District and is working with USC on a research study to see the effects of this work. She has dedicated much of her career to training and supervising therapists and her lifelong passion is working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families struggling with daily life, helping to support them on their path towards healing and growth.
Free Learning Resource: Mindful Family Article
Learn More about Mindful Family Retreat here!
What you will learn:
In this interview Stefanie will share effective ways to create a cultural shift within your school and how, as a teacher, practicing mindfulness is both an act of self-care and shift in how you show up in the classroom.
Sue DeCaro • https://www.suedecaro.com/
Session Title: Why Is Mindfulness so Important
A heart-centered parent and life coach, educator, motivational speaker, and writer, working with individuals, corporations, and families around the globe to navigate life’s daily challenges. While integrating education, consciousness, mindfulness and coaching, I help individuals grow, thrive, and feel empowered. My passion is to help people deeply connect to themselves, to their children, and of course, to the world around them, creating a brighter future.
Free Learning Resource: E-Book on Mindfulness
What you will learn:
Conscious and mindful practices are imperative to the health and wellbeing of both adults and children. Practicing the art of creating space to think, breathe and quiet our mind before we react is one of the most important practices in daily life. Modeling these coping skills and daily behaviors is crucial for our children to see, learn and also focus on in their daily lives.
Sue Langley • http://www.suelangley.com/
Langley Group Institute DPP • SP info including Accreditation options • DPP London
Session Title: Neuroscience and Positive Psychology for Educators
Sue Langley is CEO and Founder of the Langley Group, and travels the globe engaging people from all walks of life.
Her ability to energise teams for change, develop resilience and wellbeing in others, and to inspire leaders to be the best they can be, makes her one of the most sought-after speakers in her field.
Sue has worked with thousands of business leaders, HR professionals, managers and consultants to help them learn how to harness the brain’s potential, create positive workplace cultures and increase performance and productivity.
W. Alan Brown
Session Title: Teaching Attention in the Age of Distraction
Alan Brown is a Lead Teacher and Curriculum Designer for Mindful Schools’ flagship training program, the Mindful Teacher Certification Program. Through his consulting firm, Learning to Thrive, he is a frequent speaker and presenter to schools and districts on mindfulness, resilience and positive education. A teacher and school administrator for over 15 years, Alan also runs the mindfulness and experiential programs for Grace Church School in New York City. In addition to his work in education, Alan is an advocate for mindfulness to the Tourette Syndrome community and is currently collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital and Bowdoin College to assess the efficacy of mindfulness-based treatment for Tourette Syndrome and tics.
Free Learning Resources – An Assortment of Tools
What you will learn:
“Can I have your attention?” “Eyes up here, please.” “Are you listening to me?” Teachers and parents spend a great deal of time asking children to pay attention, but very few of us teach them how to do that. That’s because most of us never learned it ourselves! By understanding how attention and distraction work in the brain, we can be less reactive when children are inattentive as well as practical, proactive strategies for helping cultivating attention
Wendy O’Leary • http://www.wendyoleary.com/
Session Title: Perspectives and Practices for Supporting Mindfulness with Children
Wendy O’Leary is a Health Educator and co-author of Breathing Makes It Better, a mindfulness book for children. She has been teaching mindfulness and skills for emotional intelligence and regulation to children for 15 years including direct instruction with children in hundreds of classrooms, training for teachers and non-profit professionals and presenting in college education courses.
What you will learn:
In this session you will learn a variety of practical child friendly mindfulness techniques, ways to explain mindfulness concepts to children and strategies to easily integrate them into the classroom or other settings. The session will include some possible pitfalls as well as tips for teaching mindfulness to children within the context of understanding mindfulness as a particular way of being with our experience.
Free Learning Resource: Mindful Matters Strategies for Children
