Blanca Sissa is the author of the new children's picture book Jewish Mindfulness for Kids. A teacher of mindfulness and kids' yoga, she lives in Madrid, Spain.
Q: What inspired you to write Jewish Mindfulness for Kids?
A: I would love for our future generations to be kinder and more peaceful so we can make this world a better place.
I am a mindfulness and yoga teacher, and throughout my career I have been able to see the impact of teaching these practices to young children, who benefit greatly by learning techniques that calm them down and help them self-regulate more and more every day.
We know kids nowadays are under a lot of stress from our digital nonstop culture. Sadly, most parents and teachers lack the tools to help them fight against it.
I believe the way to deal with our kids’ stress must be through techniques that speak their language. My book aims to provide the needed tools, by doing it in a playful tone, we can teach kids how to relax and connect with themselves.
I am convinced that childhood is the best time to plant the seeds of mindfulness in their young minds, so they will grow up to be healthier and happier. We can help our children to be better connected to themselves, and with the “here and now.”
Let me add a little here about how mindfulness for kids, and the Jewish side of meditation come all together.
When I became a mother, I got in close contact with childhood needs, tantrums, and fears. I understood that it was essential to teach kids techniques of emotional self-regulation, to help them calm down. There really wasn’t any material available so I decided to create it. That is how I entered the world of mindfulness for children.
From my study of Jewish traditions I learned about Yishuv Hadaat. This concept means to calm the mind. Yishuv means settling, and Daat means the mind. The term “yishuv hada'at” often appears in Jewish ethical works, and It is commonly understood to mean peace of mind, tranquility and composure.
Once I put them all together, the idea of working on Jewish mindfulness for kids took on a life of its own, and I am very excited about the book it has become.
Q: What do you think Camila Carrossine’s illustrations add to the book?
A: This is the first time I have collaborated with Camila and I think she has done a great job. The illustrations are beautiful. I am very happy in the way they manage to convey exactly what the book wants to say, in such a way that even the youngest and new readers can understand it.
Q: How did you first get interested in the concept of mindfulness?
A: It all started with a personal experience. After a deep breathing session I always feel better. I know it works. Mindful meditation is a way for me to be more focused and calm.
I arrived at mindfulness from yoga, which I started practicing almost 30 years ago. As we have all heard by now, mindfulness is a type of meditation that connects us to the here and now, and yoga is sometimes defined as meditation in motion.
I studied mindfulness and became certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) of Jon Kabat-Zinn. I also follow the growing scientific research that validates its health benefits.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?
A: I would like children to know that they can take charge of their own well-being and peace of mind. Make them feel empowered, and not helpless.
Mindfulness can be fun and they can easily learn to consciously decide to pause, breathe deeply, and calm their mind to feel better when they need to.
I want them to have a good time and enjoy the activities in the book.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: At the moment I have three projects related to Mindfulness, Judaism and children.
The first one is a manual for teachers to learn how to teach Mindfulness and Yoga to children, the second one is about Jewish Mindfulness, and the third one shows yoga poses for little kids.
How to Teach Mindfulness and Yoga to Children is a manual specifically aimed at preschool and primary school teachers who want to use mindfulness and yoga resources in education.
Adding Mindfulness and Yoga to everyday school classes leads to calmer and more focused students with better grades, a healthier school environment and most importantly, happier kids.
Jewish Mindfulness. The Jewish people have a longstanding reputation of being “the people of the book”; nevertheless, we have, among our lesser-known traditions, a great respect for meditation.
I make the case to my adult readers, give them ways to meditate, calm the mind and do relaxation exercises that come from our ancestral tradition. Current fashion around mindfulness does not mention the Jewish people anywhere but we already had that practice for many years.
Jewish Yoga Poses teaches yoga poses to the little ones, using characters from the Jewish world as a guide.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Mindfulness should be a part of how we live our lives and not just a practice to do for 15 minutes every day. But if you, and your kids, do only the 15-minute practice that is also good.
When we are mindful we can enjoy who we are, manage our stress, make the best of every moment, and so can our children if we help them develop mindfulness.
We can make the world a better and kinder place by spreading mindfulness.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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