Mindfulness with Elaine, a Maltese educational entity specialised in offering mindfulness experiences for children, recently entered into an agreement with NGO RMJ Horse Rescue to launch a new initiative to enable its mindfulness sessions to take place in a natural environment and through horse riding.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation that brings a person to the present moment through awareness of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations, Mindfulness with Elaine founder Elaine Azzopardi, an educator by profession, said the agreement will enable her entity to run mindfulness sessions for children and adolescents in a stimulating environment, apart from offering such experiences in schools.
She said: “Through an integrated mindful approach, children will not only be offered the opportunity to learn how to practise mindfulness in their daily lives, but also to learn more about horses, which in itself can be very therapeutic.”
Many equestrian-based programmes internationally already use mindfulness training and the power of horses to help people become more in tune with their emotions. Recent studies carried out in European and beyond have shown that equine-guided therapies focusing on mindfulness movement and connection with horses have proven to be effective also in dealing with various mental health challenges, added Azzopardi.
RMJ Horse Rescue director Korin Farrugia said the agreement would benefit both entities. “Through such practices we are also now contributing to provide Maltese children with a different learning experience and indirectly bringing about awareness on horses and the work of our organisation,” she said.
She thanked educator Kenneth Vella, an executive board member of Mindfulness with Elaine, who she said was instrumental in the agreement being reached.
Mindfulness sessions at the RMJ Horse Rescue are being organised every three weeks for children aged between five and 14. Mindfulness with Elaine, and its sister company Mindful Education Malta, are also working on other initiatives to be held during summer.
The mindfulness sessions at the RMJ Horse Rescue, Siġġiewi, are being organised every three weeks for children aged between five and 14.Azzopardi is a mindfulness practitioner and a certified mindfulness trainer specialising in children and adolescents, who has been trained by an established and reputable organisation in the UK. She leads mindfulness sessions on a regular basis in local schools, both during and after school hours.
For enquiries, e-mail mindfulnesswithelaine@gmail.com.