In our episode today, I invite you to listen to a mindful practice performed by tweens (ages 11 – 13). These are students in my Transition Awareness Breathing enrichment class at one of the local charter schools. These TAB friends have been attending Transition Awareness Breathing one hour a day each week for approximately six to nine months. They shared with me that they have become more aware of how their bodies respond to various environmental situations within the last few weeks. Tween TAB’s friend’s favorite mindfulness practice is mindful eating. They learned mindfulness, awareness, and relaxation breathing techniques at the beginning of their TAB training. Most of them had never practiced mindfulness skills independently before.

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For me teaching older children TAB was a new endeavor. Current times are revealing that there is a need for older children to benefit from learning mindfulness skills as they grow into their teen years. I was still determining how this would work and was willing to try. So, I took it upon myself to find a mindfulness program that targets teens. I came across Gina Briegel, MA LMSRT instructor program called “Stress Teen.” As I learned different approaches and material from the “Stress Teen” model, I began implementing some of the content into my TAB tween classes. A few weeks ago, I asked the group to share what practice they would be willing to demonstrate in their small group setting. They chose to review the mindful qualities, body scan, and relaxation breathing.

I was amazed when they shared their practices in the small group setting. My goal was to use the teach-back learning method to determine their comprehension and skill level of what they learned. I was amazed. Each leads the group without prompting or a script. I asked them if they would allow me to record their practice. They agreed. I obtained their parent’s permission to record only their voices without their names. On the day of the recording, they expressed nervousness and asked if they could use my script from Gina Briegel’s Stress Teen guide. In this recording, three tweens will demonstrate their mindful practice with the help of the Stress Teen guide scripts. They did a great job, and I am very proud that they were willing to share what they learned with others. 

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