Mindful & Well Education serves youth, parents, and educators in becoming their whole, best selves
through wellness of the mind and body.
About Mindful & Well Education
Hi! I’m Emily Listmann. I created Mindful & Well
because as a teacher, I am acutely aware of the
toxic levels of stress, anxiety, and depression faced
by children in our education system. I want to
provide students with an antidote to these negative
feelings. In the Mindful & Well program, students learn to
replace harmful habits and emotions with strategies for self-care and healthy relationships. This positive mind state is the foundation of all learning: academic, social-emotional, and intuitive.
​
Children and teens have the option of signing up for a course or workshop, and/or receiving individual coaching in the Mindful & Well program. Coaching is also available to parents & educators. Please read more below!
So, what exactly is mindfulness?
​
Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware and accepting of the present moment, without judgment.
When we are mindful, we become non-judgmentally attuned to our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment. Mindfulness can be practiced in any moment of a child's day, whether in a seated meditation or while taking a high-stakes exam. Mindfulness in education has gained in popularity in recent years as an antidote to the unprecedented levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among children and teens today.
​
Mindfulness practice is shown to:
Significantly reduce stress
Increase calm, focus, and resilience
Improve
academic performance
Instill a greater sense of purpose, and connection with the world around us
Improve sleep
Nurture positive mind states such as kindness, compassion, and gratitude
Courses &
Weekend Workshops
​
For 4th-12th graders
(divided into two separate age groups)
​
​
Located at Escalona Dr. on the West Side of Santa Cruz
​
​
Mindfulness & Wellness Coaching
​
For youth, parents, and educators
​
Located at Escalona Dr. on the West Side of Santa Cruz
​
Mindful & Well incorporates wellness education, in addition to mindfulness practices into our curriculum.
Wellness, or the general state of health and happiness, is also increasingly recognized as essential to a K-12 education. The Mindful & Well program emphasizes self-care of the body and mind through exercise such as hiking and yoga, mindful reflection, and developing positive social-emotional responses.
Why mindfulness and wellness education for children?
It is of paramount importance that children are well in mind and body, as this is foundational to the development and learning that carries children into their adult lives. Unfortunately, students today experience unprecedented stress, negative emotions, and health problems. In a survey of 22,000 high school students conducted by Yale University, students reported feeling negative emotions such as stress, fatigue, and boredom an average of 75% of the time (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence). These feelings of stress and other negative emotions early in life has been shown to adversely impact memory, physical and mental health, behavior, and learning ability for decades to come (Harvard University Center on the Developing Child). How can we expect children who are physically and emotionally malnourished to think deeply about a problem, or creatively navigate a large project?
​
But that can change, if we choose to invest in education and practical strategies for our children's health and wellness. Multiple clinical studies have proven that mindfulness and wellness education increases positive brain responses in children and teens. In addition to the benefits listed above, this includes improving children's ability to focus and pay attention, show care for others, increase calm and self control, and decrease depressive and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, an improved immune system, stress response, strength, and balance are just a few of the physical benefits of activities like yoga and hiking in nature (Harvard Medical School).
Every child and every person can benefit from a mindful & well education!
In the Mindful & Well program, we practice:
Embodied Movement
Gentle yoga sessions with a certified yoga teacher
​
Mindful movement practices to help strengthen the mind-body connection, and calm the nervous system
​
Mindful Reflection
Mindfulness meditation
Mindful games and activities
​
Discussion
​
Journaling
Heartfulness
Heartfulness is the practice of cultivating positive mind states such as compassion, gratitude, and kindness. We do this through games, discussion, meditations, and more.
Time Outdoors
The more fresh air, the better! We try to hold all sessions outdoors in our spacious, forested patio space.
The curriculum includes regular hikes and mindfulness practice in local nature preserves.
The goal of the program is to help students achieve wellness of the mind and body-- and to have fun in the process!
​
We incorporate yoga, hiking, meditation, games and activities, discussion, and journaling. Each day's activities revolve around a theme, such as gratitude or compassion. Students have plenty of social time to have fun, be active, and just be kids-- while also benefitting from the introspection of meditation and journaling.
About Emily Listmann
Founder of Mindful & Well Education
Hello! I'm Emily. I was a middle and high school Social Studies teacher in the
Bay Area for four years after obtaining my Master in Teaching from Stanford
University. Before that, I taught English in the public schools in Spain, SAT Prep
at Kaplan, and I operated my own tutoring business. Through these years of
experience working in the educational system, I was keenly aware of the toxic levels
of stress, anxiety, and depression faced by so many. I saw how students, teachers,
administrators, and parents were struggling to find equilibrium in their overstretched
daily schedules. My heart ached for my students who were suffering and overwhelmed
instead of feeling nourished during a crucial time of development. I was compelled to create
Mindful & Well as an antidote to this epidemic of toxic stress, and to support students, parents, and educators in a way I wasn't able to do as a full-time teacher. I truly believe that a state of mindfulness and wellness is the foundation for all positive learning and development. The Mindful & Well program enables children, parents, and educators to become their whole, best selves.
My approach to teaching has always been to work collaboratively with my students to meet their unique needs. It is of paramount importance to me to build a positive rapport with my students and ensure that they feel comfortable, supported, and accepted for who they are. The curriculum I created for Mindful & Well reflects that approach and is inclusive for all types of learners.
​
My experience in education includes:
-
Master in Arts in Teaching from Stanford University
​
-
Graduate of the Mindful Schools Educator Essentials Program, as well
as the Mindfulness Fundamentals Course​
-
Creator of a mindfulness course for grades 7 & 8 at Woodland School (Portola Valley, CA)
-
9th grade mentor and advisor, focusing in social-emotional learning at Summit Preparatory High School (Redwood City, CA)
-
7th+8th grade mentor and advisor in social-emotional learning at Woodland School
-
Curriculum Head of the Social Studies Department for grades K-8 at Woodland School
-
Middle school Social Studies teacher at Woodland School
-
High school Social Studies teacher at Summit Preparatory High School
-
Training in social-emotional education from the Institute for Social-Emotional Learning
-
Over six years of private tutoring experience
-
English Teacher in the public schools in San Sebastian, Spain
-
SAT Test Prep Teacher and Tutor for Kaplan Test Prep
