Today’s Excerpt:

How do you feel after you focus on your breath for a minute? (Try it!)

Noticing what’s happening is called mindfulness.

Watch “Kids Explain Mindfulness” from Mindful Aoteaora, in which kids from New Zealand talk about the benefits of a mindfulness practice. (“Aoteaora” is the Maori name for New Zealand.)

Reflect:

Think of something that made you angry lately.

Now take a moment to pause, breathe, and smile — just like the kids in the video describe.

Pause: Sit or lay down somewhere comfortable, maybe close your eyes or choose one object in the room to look at.

Breathe: Take 3-5 long breaths with your eyes closed or looking at the object in the room. Then let your breath return to normal and just notice it.

Smile: First let the sides of your mouth start to smile, then let your whole mouth smile, then your whole face!

Whether we use the see, hear, feel approach or the pause, breathe, smile approach, mindfulness can help us in the moments we need it most.