Leona has completed her IMMA Accredited Creative Mindfulness for Kids training with Louise Shanagher from Roscommon, who is a Children’s Therapist, Mindfulness Teacher and Psychology Lecturer.
Leona is so passionate about working with children and helping to empower them by teaching them that ‘everything they need is already inside them’ and how to use these resources to cope with daily living.
In her classes, Leona creates a beautiful mental and emotional space where children can learn how to experience calmness and relaxation, understand and express their thoughts and feelings, how to be kind to themselves and others. This is done through stories, discussion, breathing techniques, meditation and creative arts and crafts.
The children describe Leona’s classes as “calm class” and really enjoy learning about the different types of thoughts and emotions that we all experience. Leona teachs the children through visual and sensory aids how a thought gives rise to an emotion, how to recognise which emotion is visiting the children, feeling the physical sensation that this emotion brings to their minds or bodies and Leona then teaches the children how to use their own life force, their breath to help this thought, this emotion and the associated physical sensation to pass over, just like a cloud.
Leona has a fabulous ability to connect with and help to nurture and enhance the children she works with on a mental, emotional and physical level. Through her classes, she helps children to understand and realise that they can be their own best friend, a kind and compassionate friend to others and that they don’t have to be afraid of the different emotions and physical sensations that they can feel daily. She helps children to understand that they can welcome all of the different emotions that we experience as friends and that these emotions will only stay for a short while, once the children engage with their natural breathing resource.
Leona provides Creative Mindfulness Classes for Children throughout the year in different locations so as to help and reach as many children and families as she can. Please see the classes section for further information.
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© Leona McDonnell Mindfulness and Wellness 2022
