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Learning To Breathe: A Mindfulness Curriculum For Adolescents To Cultivate Emotion Regulation, Attention, And Performance

Disruptive behavior in the classroom, poor academic performance, out-of-control emotions: if you work with adolescents, you are well-aware of the challenges this age group presents. What if there was a way to calm these students down and arm them with the mindfulness skills needed to really excel in school and life? Written by mindfulness expert and licensed clinical psychologist Patricia C. Broderick, 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. The book integrates certain themes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, into a program that is shorter, more accessible to students, and compatible with school curricula. Students will learn to pay attention in the moment, manage emotions as they are perceived, and gain greater control over their own feelings and actions. These mindfulness practices offer the opportunity to develop hardiness in the face of uncomfortable feelings that otherwise might provoke a response that could be harmful (e.g. acting out by taking drugs, displaying violent behavior or acting in by becoming more depressed). This easy-to-use manual is designed to be used by teachers, but can also be used by any mental health provider teaching adolescents emotion regulation, stress reduction and mindfulness skills. The author is a graduate of the MBSR advanced practicum at the Center for Mindfulness in Massachusetts, led by Jon Kabat-Zinn. She is also a clinical psychologist and a certified school psychologist and counselor for grades K-12. In the book, Broderick calls on her years of experience working with adolescents to outline the best strategies for dealing with disruption in the classroom and emotions that are out of hand. The book is structured around six themes built upon the acronym BREATHE, and each theme has a core message. The program allows for themes to be delivered in 6 longer or 18 shorter sessions, depending upon time and needs of students. The 6 core lessons are: Body, Reflection, Emotions, Attention, Tenderness, and Healthy Mind Habits. Learning to Breathe is the perfect tool for empowering students as they grapple with the psychological tasks of adolescence.

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (June 1, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1608827836

ISBN-13: 978-1608827831

Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.7 x 9.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #51,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #45 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Adolescent Psychology #49 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Adolescent Psychology #109 in Books > Education & Teaching > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Educational Psychology

I successfully used Patricia Broderick's Learning to Breathe curriculum in my SAT Prep Class in the Spring of 2013. My goal with using the program was to show my 11th graders how to practice mindfulness, or present moment awareness, both in the classroom and in their daily lives. Ideally, after practicing mindfulness frequently, students will learn strategies for focusing on the task at hand. In this case, the task I was preparing them for was a major, high-pressure test- the SAT. Instead of being consumed with stressful thoughts or feelings that could affect their performance, students learn how to acknowledge and accept these feelings and thoughts but let them go. After completing the Learning to Breathe curriculum over the course of nine weeks, my students had the tools they needed to face and overcome those stressors.The content of the Learning to Breathe is excellent. Broderick makes the topic of mindfulness very accessible to students by dividing it into six themes. Within each theme she provides interesting, practical exercises that really allow students to tangibly see how mindfulness can help us in our daily lives. One thing I also liked about the exercises is that they were clearly targeted towards the age group I teach (16-17 year olds). 11th graders can be a tough audience, and the minute they feel like what they are being asked to do is trivial or childish, they shut down. However, I never experienced any push back or complaints from my students about this program because the exercises Broderick designed have real significance and meaning to young adults.The curriculum is also very easy to use. In addition to arranging the content into six themes Broderick allows flexibility for teacher implementation.

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