Opoho School deputy principal Lucy Marr holds a platter of food for her year 3 and 4 pupils during their Pause, Breathe, Smile session. Pause, Breathe, Smile (PBS) is a mindfulness and health programme being implemented in schools across New Zealand to help children aged 5 to 12 regulate their emotions, pay attention and build positive relationships.

Grant Rix shares with Duncan Garner the transformative power of mindful breathing and emotion regulation techniques that are helping schoolchildren navigate the stresses of modern life. From the challenges of technology to post-COVID concerns, our discussion sheds light on how these strategies are not just enhancing focus and reducing anxiety among the young, but also offering valuable lessons for adults.

Sir Ashley Bloomfield said he’s been running in some capacity for his entire life, having run a few marathons and as well as having a group of friends he goes on Saturday morning runs with whenever possible. “That fellowship kind of aspect of it, spending time with friends and in terms of both physical and mental wellbeing, to me you …

Sir Ashley is an ambassador for Pause Breathe Smile – a mind health programme delivered in primary and intermediate schools – and his involvement in Round the Bays is also in support of increasing access and participation for children to participate through the Run and Become programme.

The former Director-General of Health – who is now a population health professor at the University of Auckland – joins about 10,000 people in the Southern Cross Round the Bays in Wellington tomorrow. This year, he has a strong focus on mindfulness.

Whaiwāhi Mauri Tau – Pause Breathe Smile is being offered to kura nationwide following a two year pilot at Te Kura Māori o Porirua.  Te Karere visits to find out how it’s going.

Modern life is speeding up and so is our breathing. In a deep dive into the wellness industry, The Post investigates why schools, dentists and workplaces want us to be more aware of the basics of breath.

Bloomfield had also started to use mindfulness on an everyday basis and said it was an essential ‘skill for life’.

The former Director General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, has joined the programme as an ambassador, and will travel the country speaking to school children about the benefits for all ages of breathing techniques and mindfulness. He speaks with Kathryn, along with programme founder Grant Rix.

“Children are coming back from playtime more ‘present’,” Yvette says. “They’ve learned that it’s normal to have worries, but now they know how to identify their concerns and have strategies they can use to deal with them.”