Om:Pop With Family Support H&F: Air Traffic Control
brain building, mindfulness and air traffic control: executive function and self-regulation
HERE Co-Founder Jen Armstrong leads yoga at Cathnor Park Children’s Centre, Family Support
The second week of October brings us the theme of “Air Traffic Control” for our Om:Pop Series with Family Support, Hammersmith and Fulham and Bubble + Sprout. Our bespoke yoga, brain building and meditation session at Cathnor Park Children’s Centre focused on the brain’s executive function and self-regulatory skills.
From Family Support, Hammersmith & Fulham:
“Children’s ability to remember, focus and pay attention is like the air traffic control system at a busy airport. At an airport, some planes have to land and others have to take off at the same time, and there’s only so much room on the ground and in the air. A child’s ability to manage competing demands is a skill that develops over time, requiring practice and support. Likewise children need to develop their brain’s air traffic control system to manage their mental airspace, with the support of caring and sensitive adults.
These ‘executive function’ skills regulate the flow of information and enable children to focus on tasks, create mental priorities, avoid collisions, and keep the system flexible and on time. In children, this air traffic control system needs to be actively built as early as possible.”
Brain Building and Air Traffic Control
Information via Alberta Family Wellness Initiative
how yoga helps with self-regulation
“We use yoga with children to help build their emotional awareness and understanding, aka their self regulatory capacity, to be able to help them acknowledge emotions, express them, and be able to breath through all that life throws at them.”
family yoga and brain building with jen armstrong, co-founder of Here
how meditation helps with self-regulation
“Meditation is a mindful awareness practice that can help us find calm in the midst of the chaos that is family life. A consistent meditation practice will help rewire our brains to mindfully respond instead of unconsciously react each time our parental buttons get pushed.”
Meditation and Brain Building with Karin Schrijvers, Bubble + Sprout
Read more from Karin on this topic below:
Thank you for following our Om:Pop + Brain Building series with Family Support! You can learn more about our Om:Pops via the button below.
Our Om:Pop series with Family Support Hammersmith & Fulham is brought to you by HERE in partnership with Bubble + Sprout, where we bring bespoke mindfulness, yoga and brain building sessions to families. Family Support, backed by the H&F Council, has an incredible mission, which is to help families in Hammersmith & Fulham thrive. This includes their “Brain Builders” initiative with activities and resources to help build your baby’s brain!
