What is mindfulness?

 

Mindfulness is a wellness practice. It is a self-regulation technique that encourages one to be present in the moment with thoughts, feelings, physical sensations without making judgements.

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Benefits of Mindfulness practices 

• Increases executive functioning and cognitive skills.

• Decrease mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress and self-esteem issues.

• Improves a students sense of well being and improves social interactions.

• Improves emotional regulation, helping students be able to control their feelings, thoughts, and actions. 

• Nature offers free, easy, and organic method to introduce mindfulness and promote self-regulation.

• Nature offers a variety of novel and varies sensory stimuli which can focus student attention to live in the moment.

• Increases self-awareness, compassion and empathy.

• Improves conflict resolution strategies and emotional regulation.

 

Benefits of being outside in nature​

• Exposure to environment-based education significantly increases student performance on tests of their critical thinking skills.

• Play protects children’s emotional development, whereas loss of free time and a hurried lifestyle can contribute to anxiety and depression.

• Nature enhances social interactions, value for community, and close relationships.

• Outdoor play increases fitness levels and builds active, healthy bodies,

• Spending time outside raises levels of vitamin D, helping protect children from future bone problems, heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues.

• Positive relationship between engagement in natural settings and well-bring, whereas detachment from nature is related to diseases 

• Being outside improves distance vision and lowers the chance of nearsightedness.

• Exposure to natural settings may be widely effective in reducing ADHD symptoms.

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 Supporting Research and Resources 

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  • Mindfulness-based interventions in schools-a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Adolescents' Mindfulness and Psychological Distress: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation 

  • Effectiveness of the Mindfulness in Schools Programme 

  • The National Wildlife Federation 

  • Last Child in the Woods Saving Our Children from Natural Deficit Disorder by Richard Louve 

  • Do experiences with Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of Cause-and-Effect Relationship

  • Environmental Education & Nature Based Learning- Penn State College of Agricultural Science 

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