Mindfulness in Schools
Where better to introduce Mindfulness to our children and young people than in schools?
Over this year Centre teachers have taught simple Mindfulness techniques to pupils at every school in Hitchin and at many in Letchworth too. The four-session programme (called .Breathe) has been funded by grants from Hitchin Youth Trust, the Hitchin Mental Health Recovery Team and by generous donations from participants in our weekly Mindfulness Meditation sessions. The programme helps children understand and recognise the physiological mechanisms behind stress and anxiety and then teaches them techniques for using the breath and mindfulness approaches to manage their responses.
History of our work with Mindfulness
The Centre began work with Mindfulness back in 2003, gaining funding from the Big Lottery to support a partnership with HomeStart to run programmes for families living in deprived areas of Hitchin and Stevenage.
Since that time, we have run Mindfulness courses for local government, for the NHS for its health professionals and for hundreds of individuals who wanted to learn the technique themselves to enrich their own lives.
Ever-seeking to direct its efforts to areas of greatest need, in 2017 the Centre developed a Mindfulness programme designed to train young minds – but one that would be uniquely directed at teachers – with the aim of supporting them to create ‘mindful schools’. Since then, the following 14 local primary, junior and secondary schools have participated in the programme:
Mindfulness for Teachers and Staff Follow-on – keeping your practice going for wellbeing.
Open to anyone who has previously complete a Mindfulness course, the sessions will enable teachers and staff to continue their practice with staff from other schools, learning new ways to support their own (and their students’) wellbeing.
The programme currently consists of:
Mindfulness for Teachers – a programme (delivered online) based on the book Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Sessions run on Thursdays from 7-8pm can be booked directly by emailing: classes@sadiecentre.org or online here:
.Breathe – a 4 week programme (with follow-on sessions) introducing young people to the concept of Mindfulness. Following on from our success of delivering .breathe to pupils in 2022 - 2023 The Sadie Centre has received further funding from the Hitchin Youth Trust enabling us to deliver .breathe again to all Yr 6 pupils in every Hitchin Primary School for 2023-2024
.B – an 8 week in depth programme where the precepts of Mindfulness are presented more fully to young people
“The Sadie Centre (previously The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living) were proud to be part of the Hitchin Mental Health Recovery Team (HMHRT). The Team was formed to bring together skills, knowledge and expertise of local organisations to provide the best possible mental health and wellbeing support for children returning to school during the pandemic. Sharing resources and collectively agreeing a way forward was the best way to reach as many young people as possible without duplication. The Sadie Centre was able to offer 1:1 support to staff and Mindfulness coaching to staff and pupils. We delivered the ‘.breathe’ programme to all year six classes in the area to help prepare pupils for their transition to secondary school which was always a challenging time, but during and since the pandemic has been even harder. Feedback from all of our support was excellent.” Helen & Sue, Hitchin Youth Trust
Grant Funding
The pupil and teacher programmes have been supported by grants from the Hitchin Youth Trust, the Hitchin Mental Health Recovery Team, The Henry Colborn Charitable Trust, the Hertfordshire Community Foundation, the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation and the Letchworth Civic Trust as well as by generous donations from Centre users. If you would like to support this work, click on the button below to donate.
About our tutors
Zac Newman
Zac has been teaching meditation since 2013, and practising since 2008. He teaches mindfulness on retreats, in schools, workplaces, one-to-one and in a variety of public groups. He is a long-time teacher of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programme. He trained to teach through the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University. He is a regular teacher at HaMakom and manages all their operations. Zac studied Theology at the University of Cambridge, and was subsequently a Henry Fellow at Yale University. Before he moved in 2019 to teaching mindfulness and meditation fulltime, he spent 7 years working as a teacher of mathematics, religious studies and philosophy at a high school in London, UK, serving a diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged local community. Since 2020 he has been studying existential psychotherapy at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, UK. He has spent extensive time on retreat, and is committed to continually refreshing and deepening his practice and understanding in this way.
Dr Neelam Taneja
Neelam Taneja brings over 30 years of teaching experience to people of all ages, skill levels and backgrounds to explore their potential in mindfulness, meditation and restorative yoga to people of all ages, skill levels and backgrounds. His specially developed programmes combine deep knowledge of the philosophy of yoga with a full range of practices to help people to realise their well-being and stay healthier for longer. His nationally accredited classes & courses include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World, The Mindfulness in Schools Project, and Diploma of The British Wheel of Yoga.
His courses prepare students for further personal development, self-understanding and freedom of choice to reduce suffering and increase happiness. In the last ten years, he has trained 200 educators and given lessons to over 1,000 children, 100 healthcare providers and over 500 adults in group and individual settings, in-person and online.
Neelam has lived in Letchworth Garden City for 40 years and is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, UK.
