Mindfulness for Teens


April 15, 2017


Quote of the Week

"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." --Thich Nhat Hanh

Teaching Mindfulness To Teenagers: 5 Ways To Get Started

"When we think of mindfulness, we may not think of teenagers. But a growing body of evidence suggests that mindfulness practice could be beneficial to teens, helping them cultivate empathy, as well as skills for concentration and impulse control. In short, mindfulness can help adolescents navigate the challenges of adolescence. As parents or teachers, we can introduce young people to the practice of mindfulness, or purposeful, nonjudgmental awareness. It might take some work, however, to convince teenagers of the value of slowing down, disconnecting from their digital devices and simply breathing." Read this week's featured article to learn practical strategies to introduce teens to mindfulness in everyday life.

Reading Corner

Title: "The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time"
By: Dzung X. Vo
Ages: 13+

“Dzung Vo, my student, is a very dedicated and wonderful adolescent pediatrician. He has written this book as a record of experiences working with adolescents. It is a recommended book on mindfulness for teens and a teaching tool for the Wake Up Movement. I highly recommend this book for teens and teen educators.”
--Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master, poet, scholar, activist, and author of Being Peace

Be the Change

Explore this site and its guided meditation videos with your teen  and watch this short video clip of teens describing how mindfulness helps them handle stress. Ask your teen to try to incorporate just one mindfulness strategy into his/her life for ten days and keep a journal of how it impacts them. In parallel, do the same for yourself as a parent, and share your findings together.