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Mindful Kids

Ciaran Ivanovic ~ Supporting kids mental wellbeing through the practice of mindfulness ~ Private ses Mindfulness classes for children aged 3-5/4-6 & 7-10 yrs.

Group classes & 1:1 sessions available in North West London.

16/09/2025

Fairytale Ferns! 🌿

I’ve always loved Ferns, since discovering them as a young child in the New Forest. My friend and I would spend hours hiding beneath them, trying not to be discovered by our older sisters….

When I was completing my diploma I chose the Fern as one of my plant studies. Amongst many things, I learnt that Ferns do not reproduce from seed the way other plants do. They produce spores which are dispersed by wind or water, and when they land & germinate, they grow into heart-shaped Gametophytes 🫶🏻 which gradually develop into Ferns. So you could say that Ferns are grown from love ! 💚

🌿🌿 DISCOVER the wisdom & magic of Ferns at our next Mindful Walk in Hampstead Heath on OCTOBER 11 from 2-4pm.
✅ This walk is for our course students & graduates and anyone interested in teaching mindfulness in nature to children. Tap Wonder Walk link 🔗 in our bio to register your interest.

Photos taken in Hampstead Heath + my own little Fern that I carry around with me 🌿

12/09/2025

It’s a great honour to have been shortlisted for the CMAs (Complimentary Medical Association) ‘Training School of the Year’ award 💚

Having our Mindfulness in Nature for Children accredited course recognised in this way means a great deal to us, especially when there are hundreds of other brilliant training schools in the running.

Thank you CMA 🙏🏻✨🌿

PHOTOS ➡️➡️

• 5 ⭐️ reviews from our most recent course graduates ♥️

• JOIN our next Mindful Walk if you’re interested in enrolling in our course ➡️ this is a great opportunity to talk to some of our graduates about our training program.

• Each of our students receives a deck of our Peace Pack mindfulness cards which accompany the course.

Have a wonderful weekend 🫶🏻🍃

08/09/2025

🌳 It’s that wonderful time of year when nature gifts us acorns, conkers, and all sorts of other delights 🫶🏻

Here’s how you can get creative with them:

✔️ Turn acorns into animals using wooden toothpicks & a marker pen. Can you guess some of ours?!

✔️ Invite children to draw different emotions onto conkers and then give examples of when they felt happy /sad / worried etc. This is a great game for emotional development.

✔️ Ensure that ALL acorns & conkers are used when doing these activities with children - the wrinkly ones, the broken ones, different sizes, shapes and colours. Lots of useful lessons here! 🫶🏻

✅ And last but not least - invite children to get outdoors and collect their own acorns and conkers ➡️ any opportunity to engage with nature will calm their nervous systems and give their brains a mini break - whilst the collecting part focuses their minds on the task in hand (& is good for concentration).

💥💥 THESE activities are included in our Teach Mindfulness in Nature accredited course 🔗 TAP the link in our bio for full course details 💫

01/09/2025

📣 Parents, educators & health professionals! Prepare for the new school year with our unique Peace Packs.

🌈 Explore the power of everyday mindful practice with our deck of nature-inspired affirmations and activities, designed to help children manage BIG emotions ➡️ included in the deck: self-empowering mudras, calming breathing exercises, ways to develop compassion & understanding, and much more…..

✅ Each card focuses on one empowering, positive affirmation, accompanied by easy-to-follow activities and exercises to help calm the body and mind.

🐶 Affirmations (to nurture a growth mindset) are beautifully illustrated with our loveable pup and friends to help bring them to life.

✅The cards encourage children to welcome all feelings and emotions, with guidance to help manage them in a positive, healthy way ➡️ If you need inner strength, pick the ‘I am strong’ card, or for feeling settled and secure, it’s the ‘I am grounded’ card 🌳

😊 Ideal for the home, classroom, forest school & therapeutic environments. Aimed at children 3-10yrs (although suitable for all ages).

TAP the link in Stories to purchase your Peace Pack. FREE shipping today ONLY!

Or visit: www.mindful-kids.co.uk

28/08/2025

Norman & Val 🫶🏻

Last week I took an evening stroll in Regent’s Park and crossed paths with these two beautiful souls.

The three of us had stopped to admire some chalk drawings and words on a pathway. We chatted for a while and then I asked them if they’d seen the “hug here” sign.

“Oh!” they said, “I suppose we’d better!”

We had a laugh about their spontaneous hug. It was a special unexpected moment and I asked if I could capture it. Norman replied, “of course! but only if you jump in the circle and join us for a hug afterwards”
- which of course I did 💞

As my favourite author Elizabeth Strout says in her latest book, Tell Me Everything,

“it’s the small connections we make in this world that matter the most…..if you’re lucky enough to feel connected to someone, tell them”

Why not share this post with someone you feel connected to 🫶🏻✨✨

26/08/2025

Join me for some energising & nourishing Qigong practices this Autumn 🍁

By focusing the mind, rooting our body to the earth 🌍 working mind & body together with slow continuous movement, deep breathing 💨 & mental concentration, we encourage the body & mind to reach a deep sense of calmness.
This strengthens our parasympathetic nervous system & builds reserves for future use 🫶🏻

Practicing Qigong is an excellent way to preserve health by nurturing body, mind and spirit in harmony with nature’s rhythms. This is especially useful in preparation for the colder months ahead.

JOIN ME:

➡️ For a series of fortnightly Qigong sessions in Hampstead Heath 🌳 REGISTER YOUR INTEREST via the link in our bio (Hampstead Wonder Walks) or message Ciaran directly +44 07979 595704 📞

➡️ AUTUMN EQUINOX WEEKEND: September 20 & 21. A special Release + Renew Qigong session is being held on the Sunday. More info about this event here: https://www.hinokiforestbathing.co.uk/sessions/wellness-retreats/

These sessions are suitable for all ages and all abilities.

#

22/08/2025

Shades of Fall 🍂

Despite being worryingly early this year, there are so many signs in nature telling us that Autumn is fast approaching….

🔎 Paying attention to this gradual shift of seasons is a wonderful way of embracing the beauty of change whilst connecting to ourselves (& perhaps worth considering what personal changes we can make at this moment in time?)

🍁 While it’s natural to miss the summer, try not to let that stop you from finding joy in the present…..more on this coming soon ! 🫶🏻

Photos taken on my mindful walks in and

➡️ Look out for a new series of Mindful Walks coming 🔜

15/08/2025

Fig mandala ! 🏵️
(Kinda….)

Celebrating an abundance of figs from our wonderful tree, after two years of no figs at all…Apparently this is quite common and can be due to variations in weather, pruning - and even the tree’s natural cycle can lead to years of low or no fruit production followed by years of abundance.

This made me think of life in general, and how time, patience and care can often lead to the greatest rewards 💚

The Bodhi Tree, primarily a sacred fig tree, holds immense significance in Buddhism. It is the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment and symbolises awakening, and the realisation of ultimate truth ✨✨

In ancient Greece, the fig tree and its fruit, symbolise abundance, fertility, and even divinity.

If you like figs, try this summertime salad:
(Recipe )

Figs cut into quarters
Crumbled feta
A handful of chopped mint
A glug of olive oil
Salt & pepper
(A squeeze of lemon 🍋 optional)

Bon appetit !

06/08/2025

Join me and Lisa .forestbathing.lisa for an Instagram Live on ➡️ MONDAY August 11 at 10am to discover more about our soul-nourishing weekend in nature to honour the Autumn Equinox 🍁

➡️ Never heard of Qigong, Shakyo or Forest Bathing but want to find out more? Or perhaps you’re thinking of doing something just for yourself but are not sure where to start? Join us on Monday and have your questions answered 😊

This two-part experience invites you to pause, realign, and reconnect with yourself and the changing season through movement, stillness, nature connection, and community.

DAY 1 (Sept. 20):
🐌 Ease into the weekend with a slower pace, deeper presence, and creative engagement with nature.
Activities include a GUIDED HIKE 🥾 NATURE MANDALA MAKING 🏵️ and FORAGING 🔎

DAY 2 (Sept 21):
🌳 The main event is a deeply grounding and rejuvenating day to release what no longer serves and welcome the energy of the new season ✨
Activities include a SHAKYO session ✍️, SHINRIN YOKU 🌲 QIGONG for balance ⚖️ a seasonal, nourishing plant-based lunch, and a closing TEA CEREMONY 🫖

You can join either day or both for a discounted rate. Everyone is welcome, and no prior experience is needed.
🍂Embrace Autumn with intention, supported by nature, community, and practices that reconnect you with your body, breath, and the living world 🤲🏻 🍃

For timings, bookings and accommodation (if joining both days), please email: lisa@hinokiforestbathing.co.uk.
Shepherd’s Huts are available - I’ve booked mine! 🫶🏻

(Photos from previous events)

28/07/2025

I appreciate every single review of our online course with all my heart ♥️

So far all of our Google reviews are 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It means a lot. Thank you all 🙏🏻

Currently enrolled in our Teaching Mindfulness in Nature to Children accredited course are:

👩‍⚕️ Clinical psychologists

🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness practitioners (for adults)

🧸 Play therapists

👵🏻 Grandparents & parents

🌲 Forest school leaders, Level 3

🏥 Health & wellness organisations

☮️ Gaia House Meditation Centre

👩‍🏫 Primary school teachers /SENco

➡️➡️ If you’re interested in our accredited training and want to discover more about the program, join our next (free) webinar on August 6 at 18:00 BST. Link 🔗 is in our bio 🌿🍃✨

25/07/2025

I’ve always loved mandalas and their healing nature.

Whilst working with SEN children over the years, I’ve seen how creating a simple mandala can transform feelings of anxiety and frustration into feeling grounded and calm.
And of course what’s so special is that each mandala is unique, as each child (& person) is unique 🏵️

So….with my mandala obsession, I’m excited to have started a mandala diploma to deepen my knowledge and understanding of how this sacred creative form resonates with nature and the earth 🌍

Looking forward to sharing this journey with you !

➡️ Did you know that Carl Jung believed the mandala was an amazing tool for self-awareness and a reflection of self. He used to create mandalas every day as a form of meditation - something I’ve challenged myself to do over the summer months….photos of my latest mandalas using fallen leaves and Jasmine from my garden 🍂 🤍

21/07/2025

Bravo Portugal 🇵🇹 👏🏻👏🏻

Another European country to ban mobile phones in ALL state and private primary schools.

The Portuguese government’s decision is quite rightly, “rooted in data, not ideology” and is in response to:

Increased bullying
Distracted classrooms
Diminished social interaction among children

➡️➡️ALL linked to mobile phone use.

So my question is, WHEN is the U.K. going to jump on board? Currently government guidance is in favour of restricting mobile phone use but it is non-statutory, meaning decisions are left to schools.

In my opinion this is NOT good enough!! Schools need to be united so that all children are following the same rules - not to mention the fact that every child should be entitled to the immense benefits of phone-free schools.

❓What are your thoughts on this? Has your country already banned phones in schools? I’d love to hear….

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Ciaran Ivanovic is a former Montessori teacher (Montessori Centre International) who is now following her passion of supporting children's mental well being through the use of mindfulness techniques. Ciaran completed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Foundation course with Michael Chaskalson (Mindfulness Works in London) before completing further training to teach mindfulness to children, including the Mindfulness in Schools Project, enabling her to teach the Paws b Mindfulness program in Primary schools.

Ciaran is also trained to teach the Tai Chi for Kids program and incorporates many movements in to her sessions.

Mindfulness is taught to children in private sessions (one to one or within a small group), and at Mindful Kids Camps and workshops which run throughout the year.