Five Seeds: Bringing Mind-Body Awareness to Health Care and Education

Stress accounts for two-thirds of family doctor visits and half the deaths of Americans under the age of 65, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Medical Association concurs, saying that stress is a factor in more than 75 percent of all illness and disease today. Don't become another statistic! Join us for this eye-opening program described as “relaxation for the rest of us.” Not only will you learn the physiological, emotional, and behavioral effects of stress, but will come away with the tools necessary to cope appropriately with stress reactions, integrate the quiet mind and self-awareness into everyday living, and ultimately make better and healthier choices.

Stress Reduction for the Classroom and Beyond©

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A Settled Mind is a program designed to teach both educators and students how the regular use of mind-body practices can improve self-esteem, confidence, learning ability, and performance, thus creating an overall sense of well-being both in and out of the classroom. The program is a comprehensive approach for decreasing the physiological, emotional, and behavioral effects of stress. When integrated into the classroom, students will not only understand how stress negatively impacts them, but will come away with the tools necessary to cope appropriately with stress reactions, integrate the quiet mind and self-awareness into everyday living, and ultimately make better and healthier life choices. The benefits for students are obvious — they gain respect for themselves and others, become attuned to their bodies, and begin to express authentic feelings. But what we as teachers gain is priceless. Through understanding and practice, “we come to know the world . . . as an organic body of personal relations and responses, a living and evolving community of creativity and compassion” 1 and we “create a classroom practice that would teach us not to rearrange the world but to learn its intricate relationships.” 2

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Designed to address the complexities of student stress, Teen Zen™ provides a safe and supportive atmosphere for adolescents to practice mindfulness, breathing, and awareness as healthy coping mechanisms.

In the extended Teen Zen series, we deal with food issues as well as drug and alcohol use. Mindfulness becomes the main focus as we learn to look at ourselves (body, mind, and spirit) as wonderful, special beings deserving of kind and gentle treatment. A group promise of confidentiality is made at the beginning of each session, because the discussions can often be quite honest and frank. The series culminates with an exploration of natural altered states, complete with history, book recommendations, and safe exercises.

Are you a teen who has particpated in Teen Zen or is interested in meditation, mindfulness, and natural altered states? The Teen Zen online community is a safe place to talk about difficult issues such as school, stress, drug and alcohol use, food and eating issues, and relationships, while supporting each other in our exploration of more healthy coping skills.

The group is moderated for inappropriate material — we try to make it a safe place for teens of all faiths, genders, and abilities so disrespectful posts will be deleted.

Join us for sharing, learning, and becoming one with the universe! Teen Zen: changing the world one breath at a time.

Palmer, Parker, To Know As We Are Known , San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1983. p. 14.

Ibid, p. 38.