"I kept doing the body scan to feel calm," a fifth grade student explained to my colleagues as he recollected coping with a stressful situation at home. A "body scan" involves checking in with your body and noticing how it feels in the present moment. There's no action required other than observing experiences as they unfold.
As a neuroscientist applying the insights of my center's research to the real world, including in classrooms, I hear similar stories from people of all ages expressing a desire to calm their minds, to take baby steps to reduce negative emotions, improve well-being and respond with resilience to factors outside of our control. In this case, a student took a practice he learned in school, saw the value in it, and called on it as a coping skill during a moment of adversity.
[For more of this story, written by Richard J. Davidson, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...arned_b_7102636.html]
Comments (0)