Mindfulness Moments (Pause, Ponder, Pray) and Social Emotional Wellness

At this time we are being called to PAUSE, PONDER and PRAY for all that is good in the world amidst times of uncertainty.

Mindfulness Moments can be a way for us to whole-heartedly come together, as we are physically apart but spiritually connected.

In this series, interactive videos, a variety of tools and strategies will be available for families wishing to participate in at home. We will share breathing techniques, meditation exercises and simple mindfulness tools to use in daily practices to support social emotional well-being.

Mindfulness Moments are hosted by Mrs. Gentilcore, the Early Years Lead with Niagara Catholic.

The ultimate goal is to remind our young learners that they possess the concrete tools and strategies to respond to their brain, to respond to their new normal and to remind them of our central message that he/she is a Child of God!

Through this all, may we discover within ourselves that we are stronger, more hopeful and resilient, and our hearts have been softened by His love, as we are called to do small things with great love thus providing one another with a true encounter with Christ.

The short on-line videos will include the 3 P’s to the Mindfulness Moments (Pause, Ponder, Pray) similar to STOP, OPT, GO (Zones of Regulation) but with a Christ centred encounter:

A moment to PAUSE (STOP)

· We begin by first taking the time to PAUSE and to acknowledge an emotion (example: fear, worry)

· This PAUSE reminds us that the emotion being felt is valid and okay to feel

· Within this PAUSE, we can embrace the emotion, giving it awareness and recognizing that it is present

A moment to PONDER (OPT)

· We will explore a strategy/tool to PONDER and replace the negative emotion - bridging the amygdala (emotional part of the brain or stress response that raises cortisol and adrenaline levels in our central nervous system chemically producing anxiety, fear, distress reactions) to the prefrontal cortex (the thinking part of our brain that can respond with a strategy or a tool to our distress reaction)

· PONDERING/thinking about all that is good or something that we are grateful for can help in gaining clarity in the present moment awareness

· We can teach a breathing technique, meditation exercise, or introduce a self-regulation tool that we can choose to PONDER - re-focus our thoughts

A moment to PRAY

· We end all Mindfulness Moments with a moment to PRAY (GO) and bring self-awareness, love and kindness to ourselves first and in turn towards others

· We recognize, replace and re-ignite our mind, body and spirit to the presence of God within us and around us – at home, community, globally

It is our hope that the 3 P’s of Mindfulness will reignite the 3 C’s of Catholic education:

1. Community: We belong to Christ and through Christ we belong to one another. We join together as a faith community to respond to our own anxious feelings and the anxious feelings of others knowing that Christ walks with us and that we walk with one another. We accompany one another as Christ did with his disciples on the road to Emmaus. Our NCDSB faith community reminds us that we accompany one another on the journey and in doing so, we “renew the promise”.

2. Communion: We are one with Christ and we are one family in Christ.

3. Collaboration: As we share our gifts and resources with one another, we come to realize that together we have the transformative power to reveal Christ to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters. True collaboration begins with the recognition and awareness of our own vulnerability that requires us to pause, ponder and pray and reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ as we collaboratively build the kingdom of God on earth.

Mindfulness Moments allow us to actively live out, during these uncertain times, the NCDSB motto “Nurturing Souls and Building Minds”.

DPA Choice Board