Kindful Living Academy
What is Kindfulness?
Kindfulness = Kind + Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the quality of being fully present and engaged in whatever we are doing in the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.
While mindfulness contributes to more empathy and compassion, it does not explicitly require us to be compassionate, whereas Kindfulness reminds us to be compassionate to ourselves and others— making the benefits of a Kindfulness practice even more profound.
We can train our moment-to-moment compassionate awareness through formal as well as informal methods. Meditation is one of the most popular formal practises used to train ourselves to be kindful, but it is not the only way. Other practises include Visualization, Focused Attention, Body Scans, Reflection, Resting Awareness, Noting, Loving Kindness and Skillful Compassion.
Why Practice Mindfulness?
When we train our minds to be present, nonjudgmental and compassionate, we are, in essence, teaching ourselves to be more self-aware, empathetic and thoughtful.
Although Kindfulness does not eliminate stress or other difficulties in life, it does help us become aware of thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise because of challenging situations, enabling us to have more choice in how to manage them, as well as a better chance of responding calmly and empathetically (rather than reacting impulsively based on historical patterns). Kindfulness is just as useful in helping us to slow down, to savour every sight, moment, bite, sound and breath, as well as to live more calm and balanced lives, with clarity and purpose.
People who regularly incorporate mindfulness into their lives report:
Heightened levels of happiness, patience, acceptance and compassion
Lower levels of stress, frustration, aggression and sadness
Increased feelings of calm, peace, positivity and overall well-being
A significant reduction in stress
A boost in energy and feeling better rested
More clarity and focus, as well as a better ability to concentrate
How does Kindfulness work?
Research confirms that mindfulness doesn’t just change our perspectives or our mindset, it actually changes the shape of our brains as well as how they function! Neuroscientists have found that mindfulness helps to rewire our brains to have more positive thoughts and emotions.
Mindfulness allows us to move from high-frequency brain waves to a lower frequency, which in turn activates or deactivates certain areas of the brain, diminishing traits such as fear, stress and anxiety, as well as building new pathways in the brain for traits such as focus and decision-making.
Raising Kindful Kids RSVP
Are you interested in learning powerful life-changing tools to help you confidently navigate tough moments with your child ?
Do you want to learn how to help your child manage BIG emotions & tame their tantrums ?
Do you want to develop a positive life-long connection and open communication with your child so they feel safe sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings with you?
Do you want to fill up your child with so much self-esteem and love that not even peer pressure or disappointments in life will make them feel small?
Now, imagine learning these invaluable skills and being able to confidently teach & model them to your child in just 5 minutes a day!
You’ve probably heard a lot about how self-love, compassion and mindfulness are so important, but do you know how to incorporate these important lessons into your busy life?
It’s my mission to help busy families learn simple and effective ways to stress less, discover calm, and raise happy, confident, resilient and emotionally intelligent children, and I have a proven method I’m delighted to share with you! It’s literally just a matter of learning a new way to engage in activities you already do, like brushing teeth and eating.
If you’re ready to invest 5 minutes a day to transform your family’s life, as well as your relationship with your child, to nourish yourself and to cultivate more calm and compassion, deeper connections and joy in your home, register today and secure your spot in our Raising Kindful Kids Program.
With childhood stress and mental health symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) on the rise, we must prioritize our children’s mental health like we do their physical health.
Who is this course for?
If you’re a caregiver of a child between the ages 0-12, this course will provide you with a step-by-step roadmap to teach and practise Kindfulness with your child.
Whether you are a first-time parent struggling to balance parenthood without losing yourself, trying to keep your family grounded in the values that matter most to you, or looking for tricks to help your child manage their responses to difficult situations— this program is for you.
I get it, you are probably thinking “I really don’t have the time to learn yet another skill or to teach my child something new.”
That’s why the activities I teach and practise myself literally take 5 minutes or less and are simple to learn and to teach to children. The best part is that a regular Kindfulness practice can actually free up time in our schedules, because it enables us to work more effectively and efficiently. Also, when children feel big emotions, it takes them less time to move through what they are feeling.
Or maybe you’re thinking “My child doesn’t stay still for even one minute, how am I supposed to teach them anything, let alone emotional intelligence?”
Just because babies don’t understand words doesn’t stop us from singing songs to them.
Just because toddlers cannot read, doesn’t stop us from reading books to them.
It’s literally the same thing— just because a child doesn’t sit still doesn’t mean they can’t learn and practise Kindfulness. This is actually the exact reason why we need to teach them!
It’s like teaching a child numbers. We start off by counting to three and keep building, until a few short years later, they’re competently manoeuvring algorithms.
My goal is to help you feel confident in teaching your children how to manage their minds and their hearts, and to respond to life challenges with confidence and grace~even if they have a short attention span, limited language skills or struggle to sit still for more than a minute.
My son wasn’t even 1 when he began to use deep breathing to calm himself down. Now, at 2 years old, he regularly prompts his younger brother, my partner and me to take a deep breath when he senses we are tense.
Children are innately more Kindful than adults. All children can learn and practise Kindfulness.
In fact, in my personal and professional experience and opinion, there is no age that is too young or too old to practise or benefit from Kindfulness, however the ideal time to actively start teaching children is age 2. I will show you breathing, mindful awareness, mindful movement and meditation exercises that I developed with little minds in mind.
The goal at this age is to playfully expose our kids to Kindfulness by helping them explore what it is and understand why it is important, so that we can start planting the seeds of Kindfulness in their life.
Teaching children to be Kindful takes time, patience, and practice, but with the right roadmap this process will not only be easy, but it will give you back more than you have to put in!
Wondering where and how to start? This course will teach you, step-by-step, how to introduce Kindfulness into your family’s daily habits and routines.
Course objectives
You will feel empowered to build a Kindfulness practice for your family that suits your lifestyle and have actionable tools and skills that you can immediately use.
You will learn essential skills to build stress-resilience in your child so that they can handle any challenge life throws their way, with grace, confidence and hope.
Your family will enjoy more calm, joy, gratitude and fulfilling relationships.
Your child will feel more confident and in control, as a result of being more capable of navigating and self-regulating BIG emotions, through awareness and breathwork.
You will free up time in your schedule as a result of building more focus and better concentration, which will enable you to work more effectively and efficiently.
When we learn to control our minds and behaviours, the possibilities are endless!
Here is what you get:
6 Weekly Training Sessions + Q&A
Kindfulness exercises to practise with your family
My best Tips & Tricks on practising Kindfulness with children
BONUS Guided Meditation videos
Lifetime Membership to a Safe and Supportive Private Online Community
Workbook and Exercise Templates
Fee: $199.00 CDN
Don’t wait too long, spaces are limited!
See What Our Graduates Have to Say:
It seems like everyone has been talking about mindfulness lately, and to be honest I thought it was just another craze, but after working with Zahra and completing the Raising Kindful Kids program, I finally know for myself why it’s everywhere! I learned so much more than I imagined and the tools she shared have been so helpful and calming for both my 3 and 7 year old. My elder son sleeps better, is more confident and seems happier since we started our Kindfulness family practice . So glad we participated In this program! I have already recommended it to a few parents I know.
— Cintia M.
We joined the program in hopes of helping our twin 8 year-old daughters gain valuable life skills, but I think I benefited just as much, if not more! The skills taught are not just for children. I find myself using various breathing and informal mindfulness exercises daily.The best part is that Zahra explains the why and how. I have many books and thought I knew quite a bit about mindfulness, but I never understood how this related to the way our brains and bodies work. I loved learning why Mindfulness works because it pushed me to really make the changes needed for my family’s wellbeing.
— Salma F.
