Pause, Breathe, Smile New Zealand’s evidence-based mindfulness programme for children and young people
Pause, Breathe, Smile Evidence-Base Results from three research studies led by the University of Auckland and AUT
University have found that participation in Pause, Breathe, Smile:
How you can be involved: Professional Learning Pathway
PBS Educator Certification for Education and Health Professionals
• Increasedabilitytotransferpreviouslylearned
materialtonewsituations
• Increasedcreativityandindependentthinking
• Improvedabilitytoretaininstructionalknowledge
• Improvedabilityforselectiveattention
• Decreaseinleveloftestanxiety
Theseoutcomeshavebeenattributedtomindfulnesshelpingstudentsto
feelagreatersenseofcontrolovertheirlives.Thecalmnessandclarity
thatresultfrommindfulnesspracticeprovideanimportantfoundation
forlearningwhilenourishingsocialandemotionalwellbeing.
Weallwantourchildrentothriveatschool–tolearn
well,makefriendsanddeveloptheskillsthey’llneed
tonavigatelifeandgrowtobethriving,happyadults.
Teachingmindfulnessinschoolshasbeenshownto
boostcognitiveperformanceandbuildresilience.
Mindfulnessdecreasesanxiety,depressionandstress.
ThePause,Breathe,Smileprogrammehasbeen
showntosignificantlyincreasewellbeing,giving
childrenskillsthatwillhelpthemtothrivenowandin
thefuture.
Learningmindfulnesscanalsohelpwithyour
professionaldevelopment,improveyour
concentrationandhelpyoutobettermanagestress.
Throughoutthiseight-weekprogramme,studentslearncoremindfulnesspracticessuchas:
• mindfulbreathing
• mindfuleating
• mindfulmovements
• fosteringkindnessandcompassiontowardselfandothers
A different topic grounded in the science of positive mental wellbeing is taught each week LESSon 1: Coming HomE
Introducingcoremindfulnesspracticesformind-bodyintegration.‘Athome’
inourbodieswithasenseofbeing‘athome’inthepresent.
LESSon 2: HAPPinESS HErE And now
Exploringhappinessandlearninghowouractionsimpactwellbeing.
LESSon 3: EvErytHing for tHE firSt timE
Usingcreativerole-playforlookingattheworldwiththeimportant
wellbeingandlearningcharacteristicsofcuriosityandinterest.
LESSon 4: ALL tHingS riSing And fALLing
Recognisingthatemotionsarefeltinthebodyandlearninghowtoself-
regulatewithmindfulness.
LESSon 5: nEuronS tHAt firE togEtHEr wirE togEtHEr
Learningaboutthebrainandhowtosettlescatteredandunhelpfulthinking.
LESSon 6: Kind HEArt, HAPPy HEArt
Fosteringkindnessandcompassiontowardselfandothers.
LESSon 7: EvErytHing iS ConnECtEd to EvErytHing ELSE
Exploringtherelationshipsbetweenself,othersandthenaturalworld.
LESSon 8: touCHing BASE, touCHing StiLLnESS
Thislessonencouragesstudentreflection,groupsharing,andanagreement
tocontinuefosteringpresence,kindnessandcuriosityintheclassroom.
tHE mEg 8-SESSion mindfuLnESS CourSE
(onLinE)
• Thiscourseformspartofourqualityassurance
ofPBSeducators,sothattheyhavearobust
introductiontomindfulnessfortheirown
understandingandpersonalwellbeing
• Learnmindfulnessatyourownpace,course
isavailabletoviewandre-view24/7atyour
comfortandconvenience
• Youreceiveexpertmindfulnessteaching,
includingadditionalguidedmeditationpractice
andinstructionvideos
tHE ProfESSionAL trAining worKSHoP
(in PErSon)
• Catered,venueoptionsinmaincitiesnation-wide
• Youlearnouruniquewraparoundmodelof
mindfulnessdelivery–givingyoutheconfidence
tosharemindfulnesswithchildren
• Thesetrainingworkshopscanbedelivered
toyourschool,organisationorcommunityof
learningbyarrangement
tHE PBS CurriCuLum tutoriAL vidEoS
(onLinE)
• Providingcomprehensiveinstructiononeach
mindfulnesstopiccontainedinthePause,
Breathe,Smilelessonplans
• Canbereviewedanytimetoprovidemaximum
supportforPBSEducators
tHE PBS EduCAtor’S HAndBooK
(PrintEd rESourCE)
• Includeseachlesson’spurposeandWALTS,
alignmenttotheNZC,overviewofthescience
andevidencebehindeachlesson,samplescripts
andactivities
• Improvesfocusandattentionforbetterlearningoutcomes
• Increasescalmandenhancesself-awareness
• Helpsdevelopconflictresolutionskillsandpromotespro-socialbehaviour
• Reducesstressandburn-outforteachers
• Leadstostatisticallysignificantincreasesinwellbeing,recognisedbyEROas
vitalforeducationalsuccess
mindfulnesseducation.nzmindfulnesseducation.nzmindfulnesseducation.nzmindfulnesseducation.nz
testimonials
Pause,Breathe,Smile(PBS)isNewZealand’sownlocallydevelopedandresearchedmindfulness
programmeforchildrenandyoungpeople.ItalignswiththeNewZealandEducationCurriculum
andincorporatesTeWhareTapaWhāasakeyelementoftheprogramme
mindfulness practice has been shown to offer direct benefits to academic achievement, including:
BecomeaPBSCertifiedEducator;learntoteachthePause,Breathe,Smileprogramme.TheMindfulness
EducationGrouphigh-qualitymindfulnessprofessionallearningpathwayforPBSEducatorCertificationincludes:
Oncetrained,schoolsandcertifiedPBS
educatorshaveunlimitedonlineaccess
toalltheprint,audioandvideoresources
requiredtodeliverPBSthroughanannual
MEGmembershipsubscription.
“Breathing mindfully helps me calm down a lot if I’m stressed” –PBS participant, aged 10
mindfulnesseducation.nzmindfulnesseducation.nz
About the mindfulness Education groupThe Mindfulness Education Group are New
Zealand’s leading providers of mindfulness
professional learning and development for
educators and health professionals.
The intention of Pause, Breathe, Smile is
to support the Mental Health Foundation
vision of ‘creating a society where all people
flourish’, and the vision of the New Zealand
Education Curriculum to develop ‘young
people who will be confident, connected,
actively involved, lifelong learners’.
indEPEndEnt tHinKing
Mindfulnesshasbeenshowntoincreasecreativity
andindependentthinking,andleadstoimproved
knowledge-retention.
uSing LAnguAgE, SymBoLS & tExtS
Mindfulnesshelpsstudentslearnhowtouselanguage
toimprovetheirwellbeingandtheirrelationshipswith
others.Itpromotesself-reflection,helpsstudents
tolearnnewwaysofdescribingexperiencesand
improvesemotionalliteracy.
rELAting to otHErS
Mindfulnesshelpsstudentslearntobelessjudgmental
towardthemselvesandothers,andfosterspositive
relationships.
mAnAging SELf
Mindfulnesscultivatesself-awarenessandself-
regulation.Thisallowsstudentstomanagethemselves
betterbychoosingtheirbehavioursbasedonmindful
attentivenessratherthanreactingimpulsively.
PArtiCiPAting & ContriButing
Mindfulnesshasbeenshowntocreatepositive
changestothebraininareasresponsibleforempathy
andcompassion,makingiteasierforstudentsto
connectwithothers.
Thereareavarietyofmindfulnesstraining
programmesandorganisationsoperatingworldwide.
Someoftheseorganisationshavedevelopedasa
resultofsoundresearchandfocusontrainingpeople
toteachaspecificevidence-basedmindfulness
programme.TheMindfulnessEducationGroup(MEG)
isonesuchorganisation;foundedbythePause,
Breathe,Smile(PBS)programmedevelopers.
MEGiscommittedtoqualitymindfulnessleadership
inAotearoa/NewZealand.Ourmodernand
relevantapproachtoteachingmindfulnessis
ofaninternationalcalibre.Wehaveathorough
understandingoftheresearchshowinghow
mindfulnessaffectsourbodies,mindsand
communities.Whenlearningandpracticingwithus
attendeescanbeconfidenttheywillreceivehigh
qualityinstructionfrommindfulnessteacherswith
manyyearsofpersonalpractice.
“As a teacher I am constantly trying to juggle several tasks at once. This training has encouraged me to learn to focus on the task at hand and to take pleasure in that. I have found it valuable when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed.” –Teacher’s PBS observation journal
“Sometimes my brain is like a snow globe, it’s stormy and I can’t see anything properly. Now I know how to settle it down, so I can see the different snowflakes, and understand what’s happening in my mind” –PBS participant, aged 10
[email protected]|mindfulnesseducationgroup| mindfulnesseducation.nz
Pause, Breathe, Smile
NewZealand’sevidence-basedmindfulnessprogrammeforchildrenandyoungpeople.
Supported by
“Our school values include an approach to hauora (holistic wellbeing) that is integrated across everything we do. Wehad done some initial investigation into mindfulness and “flourishing” as well as neuroscience based thinking aroundhow to best support the development of a well person. To us the evidence was clear that we needed to, at a bareminimum, investigate mindfulness as a pathway to this.
PBS was the only program we could find that had local research, an Aotearoa/New Zealand context, and experienced practitioners and trainers – as well as an ethos of development and ongoing practice based learning and research. (in other words – unquestionably HIGH QUALITY!)” –Leader of Learning, Ormiston Junior College
PBS and the key competencies of the new Zealand CurriculumPause, Breathe, Smile fosters the key
competencies of the New Zealand
Curriculum and aligns with the health
and physical education learning areas,
and aspects of the social sciences and
science learning areas. Te Whare Tapa
Wha, an eloquent model of hauora
(holistic wellbeing) is integrated
within PBS.
Maori cultural practices that support
mindfulness include manaakitanga
(respect, generosity and care for
others); aroha (love, compassion
and deep affection); kaitiakitanga
(look after, care for and protect) and
karakia (recite blessings, forgiveness
and compassion).
“One of the boys in our class has difficulty processing information and gets quite anxious and flustered. In the past when he has become worked up it can escalate and he can become unresponsive. I have seen him a number of times, eyes closed, deep belly breathing. He does this on the mat or wherever he is at the time. The class give him the space he needs and he is soon back with us in his smiley state.
These episodes have become less and less frequent and I truly believe Pause, Breathe, Smile is the tool he needed to take control of his emotions and spiralling thoughts.” –Deputy Principal, South Auckland
mindfulness - noticing what is happening now, with kindness and curiosity
