112: Mindfulness For The Next Generation With Kristina Bothmer

On today’s podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristina Bothmer; a trained Children’s Yoga and Mindfulness Instructor and a teacher to elementary students in grade 1/2. Kristina is extremely passionate about sharing her mind and mindfulness practices with her students. She uses these practices daily for her own mental health, and now she uses them for her littles as well. Perhaps this episode will inspire you to incorporate more mindfulness into your day-to-day and your little one’s day-to-day as well! Kristina does everything in her life with passion. Her love for bringing mindfulness into the classroom stemmed from her own college professor starting their classes this way. At the time, not many people bought into it - but Kristina said she saw the value immediately and put her passionate personality to work to bring this practice to life for her students. She believes she’s in her position as a teacher to inspire children every day and to help them reconnect to themselves. Kristina has created a space in her classroom where parents, other educators, and most importantly the children, feel loved and safe. She feels that (as teachers) “We have a responsibility to teach our kids.” - and for her, this means so much more than just teaching the curriculum. It’s teaching the curriculum, but going above and beyond that to ensure the children are getting the most out of their learning experience.Kristina always starts the school year off in September with teaching the children a lot about the brain and how it works, breathing and different breathing techniques, and mindfulness and what mindfulness means - because for many of the children, this is new material and a new concept for them. Throughout the school year, they practice various activities to help calm their brains and bodies. She uses the term “the wise owl” with the children to explain what the prefrontal cortex of our brain does for us; it helps us to make good choices and to help us through tough situations. She also uses the term “guard dog” to help explain the part of our brain called the amygdala which is the fight or flight part of our decision making process. They use these terms to learn the concept of the wise owl helping to calm their guard dog down when they are feeling emotionally overwhelmed.Closing words: “Be intentional as you can be about the choices that you make, and the people that you bring into your life. Know that you can keep going long after you feel that you can’t; we are a lot braver and stronger than we like to give ourselves credit for. Always be growing and always be grateful - and most importantly be okay with going at your own pace, I am.” - Kristina Bothmer Get in touch with KristinaInstagram: @livinglifeatmyownpaceNotes from this Episode:Muve Forward Episode # 72 with Anna and Lindy of Love Powered Co.: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/72-affirming-greatness-within-you-anna-lindy-from-love/id1448774437?i=1000451794734Get some organic tea with Cup of Te: https://cupofte.ca and use discount code: MUVE for 15% off.MUVE FORWARD Wellness Program: https://www.muvelife.com/the-muvement