BY ALLISON MORGAN, FOUNDER AND CEO, ZENSATIONAL KIDS
More love is needed in our lives and in this world. It’s a word we don’t use often enough for ourselves and our children. It is a word that can truly transform a thought, a feeling and an action. I’ve been teaching the evidence-based practices of breath, movement and mindfulness to schools across the country. I created the Mindfulness Extension Program for the Choose Love Movement because I deeply believe in the mission of helping school communities learn to how to nurture, heal and love.
From a very scientific standpoint, these practices of breath, movement, mindfulness help us to bring the body, mind and heart into balance. You may be familiar with the term regulation. Current neuroscience tells us that without self-regulation there really is no learning happening. When we are dys-regulated, and sensing the feelings of anxiety, anger and distress, the part of our brain responsible for learning, rational thinking, decision making and most importantly connection literally shuts down.
If our goal is to support students’ ability to learn, and educators’ ability to teach, we must equip them with internal tools to cultivate well-being, balance and regulation within themselves. Imagine what your day would be like if you felt calmer and more easeful. Imagine how educators will lead their classrooms and connect with students if they were able to manage the internal stress they so often feel. And how will students engage in their learning if they have the tools to learn hone their focus and attention, as well as cope with the strong emotions that floods their system?
The workshops I have created for Choose Love are for everyone in your school community. They are designed to give you the awareness and management skills you need to CHOOSE. Choose how you want to be, how you want to feel, and how you want to act in the world.
We all deserve to be more courageous and forgiving, feel more gratitude and act with greater compassion. That is how you ultimately can change the world.
The Shifting the SELF into Regulation workshop is an interactive, experiential workshop that explores breath, movement and mindfulness tools that can easily infuse into daily activities and bring regulation, focus and learning power to your classroom.
Allison Morgan MA, OTR, E-RYT, is the founder and CEO of Zensational Kids. She is a pediatric occupational therapist, author, international public speaker, and educational trainer driven to empower youth and the adults that care and serve them. She is passionate about training educators, parents, mental health professionals, and allied health professionals, giving them effective techniques to develop skills such as self-awareness, management skills, compassion, and resilience so they can model and authentically teach these skills to children.
Statements made in this blog reflect the author’s personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Choose Love Movement. They are not viewed as personal medical care, but for the purpose of general knowledge. The reader is strongly encouraged to to speak to his/her own physician or therapist for medical advise.
