Our Mindful Garden

My name is Julia Johnson and I have started a mindfulness education program in Missoula, MT called Our Mindful Garden. Our Mindful Garden is a program designed to bring mindfulness education into schools through weekly direct instruction in classrooms, teacher training throughout the school year, and monthly community meetings for families. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment and accepting the experiences unfolding both internally and externally. Implementing a mindfulness program into schools has the potential to positively change the school culture through the many benefits both students and teachers will experience.

Mindfulness with children has been shown to improve focus, help promote self-regulation and self- awareness, increase empathy and compassion, help build conflict resolution skills, and improve self-confidence and relationships with others. Bringing mindfulness into learning environments can help improve both cognitive and academic performance through teaching children ways to become more present and self-aware. Mindfulness education supports both the social and emotional development of children, and will positively impact the school community through common language and experiences that connect both students and teachers.

I have been a teacher for ten years and understand the joys and pressures that go along with working in education. Providing educators with mindfulness training can help increase their sense of well-being, their ability to manage classroom behavior, develop skills to help reduce stress, and can help them establish and maintain positive and supportive relationships with students. Teachers will be learning these skills right alongside their students, which provides a unique and meaningful opportunity for students and teachers to connect in a new way that benefits the social and emotional health of everyone, both inside the classroom and out.

Our Mindful Garden will help create a culture of kind, compassionate, and mindful individuals who are learning and connecting with one another. Please feel free to contact me for more information or to discuss bringing Our Mindful Garden to your school. Thank you for reading!