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Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the American Psychological Association\u2019s 2014 study of stress in American life, the most stressed group in America are teenagers (Willard, 2016).\u00a0 Could this be due to more homework or expectations from school? Could it be due to changing familial lifestyles? Or perhaps children are never taught how to recognize and cope with their emotions, which leads to stressed teenagers.\u00a0In his book, Growing up Mindful<\/em>, Christopher Willard establishes that children are rarely taught how to cope with stress.\u00a0 Furthermore, once they mature to teens, their automatic responses to stress are established because they have been, and continue to be, reinforced by life experiences.\u00a0 He explains that children\u2019s brains are the most malleable, which is why it would be most beneficial to begin cultivating mindfulness practices at a young age.\u00a0 Willard\u2019s expertise is apparent as he explains the body\u2019s natural responses to stress, which often are referred to as the fight-or-flight response, in which the mind and body interpret everything as a threat, and the freeze\/submit response, in which the response resembles learned helplessness and sometimes depression.<\/p>\n Willard goes on to describe more effective responses to stress, which can be achieved by cultivating mindfulness practices.\u00a0 The first response is referred to as attending, in which the person is alert and aware of their emotional state, yet calm.\u00a0The second is befriending, in which the person stays in the present moment to experience the uncomfortable emotion, and ultimately embraces this emotion.\u00a0 These two responses to stress encourage staying in the present moment with compassion and self-compassion.\u00a0 In order to demonstrate how to develop these skills, the book is organized into three parts: Understanding Mindfulness, Practices for Children and Teens, and Sharing Mindfulness in a Formal Setting.<\/p>\n Understanding Mindfulness<\/strong><\/p>\n Part one of Growing up Mindful<\/em>is the most scientific of the three parts.\u00a0 In the three chapters that make up part one, Willard sets up a compelling case for the need to develop a mindfulness practice starting at a young age.\u00a0 Chapter one sets the base for the rest of the book.\u00a0 In this chapter Willard explains the body\u2019s natural responses to stress, how these responses may have had evolutionary benefits, but are not appropriate responses to many of the stressors we face today.\u00a0 Willard breaks down the neurological, psychological, physical, academic, and behavioral benefits of mindfulness in a way that is compelling to the academic reader yet not overwhelming to the non-academic reader.\u00a0Intermixed with scientific explanations are charts and exercises that demonstrate the points he makes.\u00a0 It is also in this chapter that he stresses the importance of beginning mindfulness practices at an early age, and including children in the process by explaining the way the brain works and how mindfulness practices can influence their responses to stressful situations.<\/p>\n Chapters two and three delve into the defining characteristics of mindfulness, which are important to understand before being able to teach others about mindfulness.\u00a0 Willard uses metaphors that make the abstract concept of mindfulness easier to grasp.\u00a0For example, describing mindfulness as \u201cmental fitness\u201d in order to compare it to physical fitness, which is encouraged and deemed important from an early age.\u00a0 He also uses bullet point lists and acronyms to help break down information that may otherwise be overwhelming to those not trained in science or academia.\u00a0 In these chapters Willard addresses common misconceptions about mindfulness, which is a creative way to help readers become attuned to their preconceived notions towards mindfulness.\u00a0 It is important for the reader to be aware of their attitudes towards mindfulness in order to differentiate misconceptions from knowledge.<\/p>\n Finally, in this section Willard ends with several ways for the reader to cultivate their own mindfulness practice.\u00a0 This is crucial because children copy what they see.\u00a0As Willard puts it, \u201cone of the most common questions I hear from parents and professionals alike is, \u2018What is the best practice for a kid who is in the middle of a meltdown?\u2019 There is no magical breathing trick I can offer, no mindful off-switch for a tantrum. The best practice for a kid in meltdown mode is your <\/em>practice\u201d (p. 43).\u00a0 The final chapter in this section demonstrates how conflict is inevitable for everyone, but developing our own mindfulness practices will not only benefit us personally, it will benefit our children or the students that we work with because we are teaching by example that it is possible to remain calm and present even in the midst of chaos.<\/p>\n Practices for Children and Teens<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Part two makes up the majority of this book.\u00a0 Chapters four through eleven give detailed accounts of different mindfulness practices for different age groups.\u00a0 This part of the book stresses the importance of getting to know the children you are working with and incorporating their interests in their mindfulness practices.\u00a0 Some common themes for children\u2019s interests include sports, creative arts, nature and outdoor activities, social media, friendships, academics, writing, music, and performing arts.\u00a0 For each of these categories Willard describes in detail various mindfulness exercises that would appeal to these specific interests.\u00a0 Tying in the child\u2019s interests to their mindfulness practice is a resourceful and creative way to generate buy in for the process, engage the student, and will increase the likelihood of developing a long-term practice.<\/p>\n Other things that Willard encourages are to use metaphors, stories, and visualization to help tap into the imagination of children and make the practice fun and engaging.\u00a0 For example, envisioning thoughts as \u201cbubbles floating past in the air\u201d or \u201cfish swimming through the water in an aquarium\u201d and scenes and characters from the childs favorite movie.\u00a0 Willard even gives tips on how to remain present in more challenging moments, such as having the child envision \u201cthrowing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples it makes, but not getting bounced around them\u201d or \u201cyou are a bee flitting from flower to flower, and you return back to the hive with sweet new insights from the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Willard points out that for many children (and adults!) it is easier to recognize and identify an experience in one\u2019s body rather than articulating the emotions or thoughts in one\u2019s mind.\u00a0 He describes exercises with fun names such as \u201cname it and tame it,\u201d and \u201cice ice baby\u201d that will help children learn to tolerate their uncomfortable feelings by recognizing that they will pass.\u00a0 Another strategy that Willard employs is describing various mindfulness exercises, such as walking with emotions, and then giving variations of these exercises for different age groups.\u00a0 This is an innovative way to ensure that the practice is being tailored to children or teens, and is another way to increase the likelihood that these students will engage with the practices.\u00a0 For example, walking mindfully with young children can be a fun game by encouraging the child to \u201cwalk like they are a penguin\u201d or \u201cwalk like they are on slippery, thin ice.\u201d\u00a0 Or for teenagers who are perhaps getting ready to interview for colleges, encouraging them to walk as different characters such as \u201ca celebrity walking down the red carpet,\u201d or \u201ca confident businesswoman.\u201d\u00a0 These are simple modifications that still encapsulate the premise of mindfulness, which is to be fully engaged and focused on the present moment, while taking into consideration the needs of the person you are working with.\u00a0 Willard also encourages teaching how to engage in short mindfulness practices in order to not overwhelm children.\u00a0 He even includes a list of 100 common everyday activities in which mindfulness can be incorporated, such as waiting for their turn in a game, standing in line, peeling an orange, and laying in bed waiting to fall asleep.<\/p>\n Sharing Mindfulness in a Formal Setting<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThis is the real secret of life-to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize that it is play\u201d (p. 203).\u00a0 Chapters twelve and thirteen end the book by reiterating many of the points Willard made in part one.\u00a0 He emphasizes the importance of cultivating ones own practice before teaching others, once again breaks down the steps of how best to encourage mindfulness practices with people of different age groups, how to generate a sense of buy in for the mindfulness process, and why it is important to begin teaching mindfulness at a young age.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n Growing up Mindful is exceptional in that Willard so expertly describes a complex process in a simple way that can be easily understood by academics, parents, and children.\u00a0 Rather than trying to adhere to traditional mindfulness practices, Willard creatively focuses on the interests of children and teenagers and describes ways for mindfulness practices to be fun for them.\u00a0 He takes into consideration the unique situations of this generation, he even has an entire chapter dedicated to mindfulness with technology and social media.\u00a0 The emphasis that Willard places on focusing on the interests of the child you are working with, and the many detailed practices and examples that Willard illustrates for many different interest areas, makes his book a useful tool for teachers, therapists, parents, and even teenagers who want to better understand the concept and practice of mindfulness.<\/p>\n ____________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n Sneha Kohli Mathur is the Co-Founder and CEO of Spectrum Success, LLC. Her program at Spectrum Success strives to provide adolescents and adults on the Autism Spectrum a chance to secure employment that they are passionate about.\u00a0 She also works directly with employers and community colleges to create successful work and classroom environments for people of different backgrounds and abilities, and increase the level of acceptance and support in the community for these talented and deserving individuals. \u00a0Sneha is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), she received her Masters degree in Psychology from New York University (NYU), her Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and is currently a student in Chapman University\u2019s Ph.D. program of Education and Disability Studies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sneha Kohli Mathur, M.A. 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