Reading Recommendation: Learning to Breathe, Patricia C. Broderick
I had the good fortune this weekend of spending some time with author and creator of the Learning to Breathe program, Patricia Broderick, at the Garrison Institute's Mindfulness in Education: Cultivating the Social and Emotional Competencies of Educators Symposium. Patricia's work is thoughtful and her mindulness program for adolescents is one that I'm learning a lot from.
Learning to Breathe is a secular program that tailors the teaching of mindfulness to the developmental needs of adolescents to help them understand their thoughts and feelings and manage distressing emotions. Students will be empowered by learning important mindfulness meditation skills that help them improve emotion regulation, reduce stress, improve overall performance, and, perhaps most importantly, develop their attention. The book also includes a website link with student handouts and homework assignments, making it an ideal classroom tool.