– Customer review on 16/12/2011

Goldie Hawn's book 10 Mindful Minutes is a thoughtful, scientifically-based program with the goal of teaching children "mindfulness." After an informative introductory foreword by child psychologist Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., Ms. Hawn explains her motivation behind the establishment of the Hawn Foundation and the MindUP program that is now being used in many schools across the U.S., Canada, and Britain. The results have been extremely positive; better reading scores, better attendance, less aggression, closer relationships, better stress management, etc.

Traumatized by a fearful incident at school as a child and later equally devastated by the 9/11 tragedy, Ms. Hawn decided that "no matter how small a gesture, I believe we can all do something to make this world a better place." Her small gesture has become a huge undertaking of scientific studies that explain how the brain functions and why helping children rediscover natural joy, understand the value of their emotions, and feel empathy can lead to less stress and a more joyful life. In order to do this, we as parents and grandparents can learn the MindUP process and lead by example.

The book explains that research has shown that children in the United States are the second least happy children in the world. Millions have emotional problems. Depression is a major problem among even very young children but especially among teens. Children are medicated at an alarming rate to treat these emotional problems. Academic performance continues to suffer. Dropout rates and suicides are increasing. Happiness is eluding us.