By Sarah Kahn
Staff Writer
South Bay Families Connected hosted an event titled “Mindfulness at Home” at Manhattan Beach’s Pages Bookstore on March 15, featuring second grade Meadows Elementary School teacher Danielle Radl as the speaker.
The event was part of SBFC’s year-long Teen Wellness Speaker Series, which is dedicated to discussing substance prevention strategies, forming connections with others and sharing challenges.
Photos: The event allowed attendees to learn more about the importance of mindfulness at home.
“Drug and alcohol abuse as well as depression are very heightened in our district,” Radl said. “It’s about teaching kids life tools and skills they can carry into their adult life.”
SBFC founder Laura McIntire organized the event that followed previous events concerning mindfulness, such as the Back to School for Parents Mindfulness Workshop in September and workshops at Manhattan Beach Middle School during the Fall. Radl used her experience in yoga to lead the talk, McIntire said. Radl has over 1,000 hours of training completed in various yoga schools and is a registered children’s yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance, a non-profit organization that works to prepare yoga instructors.
“Mindfulness can take a lot of different approaches,” McIntire said. “[Radl] has a really unique skill set that can help parents understand the philosophy and practice.
Link: Visit SBFC’s mindful parenting page to access multiple resources concerning mindfulness.
During her talk, Radl shared the importance of mindfulness and how impactful it can be for teens. The event featured various yoga techniques that parents can use at home with their children to help them work toward mindfulness.
Link: Visit SBFC’s page with parent resources.
“[The event featured] strategies for parents to de-stress, so kids can be less stressed,” Radl said. “I’ve been studying yoga as of 2003, and it has improved my quality of life. It also helped the people surrounding me. It made them more in-tune and mindful.”
The event also provided posters and promoted books concerning the significance of mindfulness, such as “10 Mindful Minutes,” by author Goldie Hawn. SBFC will host an event in April, consisting of a panel of teens and a discussion on teenage issues.
“Children are so close to being able to connect to something bigger than themselves, and we lose that as we age,” Radl said. “It is super important to be teaching kids about how to access all these tools in order to achieve mindfulness.”
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