The Sean O’Shea Foundation (SOSF) Mindfulness and Nutrition program is a structured curriculum of 30 individual units designed to be taught in 50-60 minute sessions. Each unit emphasizes five key social-emotional learning skills:
The SOSF Mindfulness and Nutrition program combines elements of body stretches and poses that are harmonized with breath, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and social-emotional learning in a secular format that can be adapted for grades 3-12. The units are designed to promote both physical and mental health, and can be combined into scaffolded programs of varying lengths, from 12 to 24 weeks. Each unit includes:
On the first day of class the SOSF instructor provides an introductory orientation. In this orientation students participate in establishing “class norms,” including topics such as proper attire, cell phone use, and respect for equipment, the teacher and each other. Each class begins with a 5-minute breathing and centering practice, using “ocean breath”, followed by a discussion of the “word of the week”. The first unit introduces mindfulness and respect, two key concepts that permeate each and every lesson. Other words of the week include concepts such as compassion, non-judging, gratitude, self-acceptance, courage and non-violence.
As the teacher leads students through a 30-40 minute sequence of poses, she provides examples of how the word of the week, can be applied both in one’s daily practice and in one’s daily life. The practice ends with a resting pose, during which the instructor verbally guides students toward mental and physical stillness and deep relaxation.
Each unit builds on the previous one. As students gain mastery over basic poses, new ones are introduced. Partner poses and group activities encourage teamwork and cooperation. To accommodate every student, instructors offer a modified version of each pose. The final 10 minutes of class are dedicated to a discussion of the physical practice, how it relates to the “word of the week”, as well as nutrition tips based on the nutrition unit covered each month The instructor encourages students, to reflect on and share with others what the “word of the week” means to them, how it relates to the postures, mindfulness, and breathing exercises covered in class, and how they might put it into practice in their daily lives. Nutrition units, taught every fourth week, focus on understanding key nutrition concepts, trying healthy snacks, making healthy choices, and understanding how our choices impact our health and the environment.
All SOSF instructors are certified teachers with a minimum of 200-hour certified Yoga Teacher Training and at least 6 years of experience teaching yoga. They must also have at least a B.A. in the social sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology, education or child development, etc.). Instructors are independent contractors and are paid by the foundation. They are interviewed and selected after doing an additional 5-hour SOSF orientation/training. This training is offered bi-annually and all instructors attend both of these annual trainings if they wish to continue with the program. The foundation also requires all instructors to be actively teaching outside of SOSF and to carry liability insurance.
Note: See CALM Kids, Yoga 4 Kids With Cancer, and Nutrition programs for more information on SOSF programs
- Maintaining awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and surroundings in the present moment
- Non-judgment toward oneself and others
- Decreasing social comparison (promotion of non-competitiveness)
- Non-reactive and effective coping
- Physical health via exercise and nutrition awareness
The SOSF Mindfulness and Nutrition program combines elements of body stretches and poses that are harmonized with breath, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and social-emotional learning in a secular format that can be adapted for grades 3-12. The units are designed to promote both physical and mental health, and can be combined into scaffolded programs of varying lengths, from 12 to 24 weeks. Each unit includes:
- Active discussion of the “word of the week”
- Breathing exercises
- Body stretches and movement
- Guided group centering/relaxation practices
- Active reflection on the practice as it relates to the “word of the week”
- Nutrition awareness
On the first day of class the SOSF instructor provides an introductory orientation. In this orientation students participate in establishing “class norms,” including topics such as proper attire, cell phone use, and respect for equipment, the teacher and each other. Each class begins with a 5-minute breathing and centering practice, using “ocean breath”, followed by a discussion of the “word of the week”. The first unit introduces mindfulness and respect, two key concepts that permeate each and every lesson. Other words of the week include concepts such as compassion, non-judging, gratitude, self-acceptance, courage and non-violence.
As the teacher leads students through a 30-40 minute sequence of poses, she provides examples of how the word of the week, can be applied both in one’s daily practice and in one’s daily life. The practice ends with a resting pose, during which the instructor verbally guides students toward mental and physical stillness and deep relaxation.
Each unit builds on the previous one. As students gain mastery over basic poses, new ones are introduced. Partner poses and group activities encourage teamwork and cooperation. To accommodate every student, instructors offer a modified version of each pose. The final 10 minutes of class are dedicated to a discussion of the physical practice, how it relates to the “word of the week”, as well as nutrition tips based on the nutrition unit covered each month The instructor encourages students, to reflect on and share with others what the “word of the week” means to them, how it relates to the postures, mindfulness, and breathing exercises covered in class, and how they might put it into practice in their daily lives. Nutrition units, taught every fourth week, focus on understanding key nutrition concepts, trying healthy snacks, making healthy choices, and understanding how our choices impact our health and the environment.
All SOSF instructors are certified teachers with a minimum of 200-hour certified Yoga Teacher Training and at least 6 years of experience teaching yoga. They must also have at least a B.A. in the social sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology, education or child development, etc.). Instructors are independent contractors and are paid by the foundation. They are interviewed and selected after doing an additional 5-hour SOSF orientation/training. This training is offered bi-annually and all instructors attend both of these annual trainings if they wish to continue with the program. The foundation also requires all instructors to be actively teaching outside of SOSF and to carry liability insurance.
Note: See CALM Kids, Yoga 4 Kids With Cancer, and Nutrition programs for more information on SOSF programs