A few years ago, whilst carrying out some research using Creative Relaxation in a primary school, my colleague and I noticed that one particular group of children didn't take very well to the training. We decided to sit down with them and talk to find out why. This was a group of 12 year olds in their last year of primary school, the age when peer pressure starts to become a factor. We found quite quickly that there was ring leader that some of the other children looked to and followed. We focused our attention on him, and asked him what he thought about the technique and why it didn't work for him. We were stunned by his response. "Its like having a super-power, but not knowing how to use it" he said. He had in one short sentence solved the entire research project. Firstly we understood that children realised how powerful the technique was, secondly he showed us that if children don't understand why they are learning something or how to apply in their lives, then no training would ever be effective. From this one interaction with a 12 year old I learnt something invaluable about teaching well-being which I have since incorporated into all my trainings. Firstly I start by explaining why we are learning this, secondly, I make sure that everyone has an idea of how to bring this into their daily life and the real situations that they face. We all have super powers, whether its our ability to imagine ourselves succeeding, or our ability to use our breath to remain focused under pressure, but not all of us know how to access these abilities when we need them in real life situations. This is the essence of what I teach.
