The Chinese Australian bringing mindfulness for Mandarin speakers to the mainstream
There is growing awareness of the impact of anxiety and mental health issues on children, even preschoolers. In Australia, the concept of mindfulness for young people is being discussed more and more in schools and childcare.
Nikki Zhao, host of Soundwalks Mandarin, a mindfulness podcast targeted at children, said the practice can help create a sense of calm and expand one's imagination.
Ms Zhao, who moved to Melbourne from Shanghai when she was 10, says mindfulness for children wasn't something that was brought up or spoken about when she was growing up in China.
'We didn't have a common language for mental health or meditative states,' she said.
Being mindful is the act of being aware of what's happening right now. It involves using senses to be conscious of oneself and one's environment. It's what we see, hear, taste, smell and feel, but also how we feel on the inside - our emotions and thoughts and how we respond to what's happening.
'Meditation was something practised only by Buddhists, not everyday people," Ms Zhao said.
"And I know that my family and parents love us, but they do this through the act of service. Not by saying, 'Why are you feeling this way?
'That kind of language wasn't just within their upbringing. So, now and being in Australia ... I feel like mental health has become something that is commonly talked about.''
Ms Zhao said through Soundwalks she aims to lift the stigma.
'Learning to talk about how we are feeling and learning to identify emotions …that, for me, is a really useful tool to sometimes just step back and have a moment to myself," she said.
Bringing mindfulness into adulthood
While there may not have been overt conversations around mental health in her upbringing, Ms Zhao says the concept mindfulness in her Chinese household was probably always there.
'I do believe that we found meditation through activities such as being encouraged to pick up an instrument or to take up arts and crafts like dancing or calligraphy,' she said.
'So even though it wasn't explicitly talked about, there definitely was like an intention to find peace and focus through activities.'
As a busy adult, Ms Zhao said doing things like singing, exercising and walking in nature has helped her find opportunities for meditation.
Nikki Zhao says Soundwalks can help children find moments of focus and peace. ( ABC: Esra Ozkul )
"Singing is just part of life ... I can find it attaching to a sound or a vibration that's happening inside of my body. It means that I feel connected to my body, my breath, and my mindset at the time to create the sound that is a result of it, rather than trying to perfect a sound.'
There's a similar feeling when exercising and taking time to connect with nature.
'I definitely go out of my way to get my [nature] fix,' she said.
Even if it's just a walk in the botanical gardens, 'I feel like I can connect back to nature again and refocus that nothing really matters other than being whole in that moment.''
Immerse your children in the beauty of nature and the Mandarin language with Soundwalks, an audio experience designed to help children relax, practice mindfulness, and explore the world through sound. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.
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