Goldie Hawn brings Mindfulness lessons to kids online for free

In education and psychology circles, actress Goldie Hawn is known for much more than her long career in film and TV and signature giggle.

The Goldie Hawn Foundation, with its MindUP program, has been teaching mindfulness in schools for more than 16 years—and they’ve measured successful outcomes in students who often experience anxiety, stress, anger, or depression.

With the pandemic keeping most students at home—and parents racking up their own stress levels related to that new reality—MindUP has unveiled a new free service that families can access 24/7.

Partnering with Insight Timer, the world’s largest free meditation app, MindUP is now delivering short five-minute exercises, based on its accredited curriculum, that teach daily gratitude and “brain breaks” proven to improve focus, resiliency, optimism and empathy.The audio exercises, which are also on the platform’s website, designed to help children regulate emotions and increase overall wellbeing through positive psychology, mindful awareness, and social-emotional learning, are available in English, Spanish, French andPortuguese with more languages to come this year.

Accredited by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), MindUP’s exercises on Insight Timer teach children focus, empathy, and relationship-building—which are based firmly in neuroscience that has measured how to manage stress and regulate emotions, with optimism, resilience, and compassion.

The World Health Organization reported in 2020 that more children are struggling with concentration and nervousness amid lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During this time of uncertainty, children are affected negatively emotionally and are facing symptoms of stress and anxiety,” says Hawn, the 74-year-old founder of MindUP. “Our program helps address these issues by creating mental fitness and emotional stability.”

The Foundation already has some MindUP lesson videos on their own website.

“We are proud to add MindUP’s learning resources to our free library to support parents and educators as they face new challenges teaching children with technology,” said Christopher Plowman, CEO of Insight Timer, which has become the most used meditation app in the US, with global audience of 17 million people.

Source: GNN