Learning To BREATHE

a research-based mindfulness program for adolescents

Body ~ Reflections ~ Emotions ~ Attention ~ Tenderness ~ Habits ~ Empowerment

 

Since its publication nearly a decade ago, the L2B program has transformed classrooms and has been used by educators, parents, and mental health professionals alike. This fully revised and updated second edition offers the same powerful mindfulness interventions with special emphasis on compassion and trauma-informed practice.

The book integrates themes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, into a program that is shorter, accessible to youth, and compatible with school curricula. This manual is designed to be used by teachers for universal (Tier 1) prevention but can also be used by any mental health provider to improve emotion regulation, executive functions, and stress reduction through the power of mindfulness. L2B has been successfully used with adolescents, young adults and with teachers themselves. This easy-to-use 2nd edition includes teacher notes, trauma-informed adaptations, highlighted transitions between activities, and icons to identify parts of the lessons. Detailed outlines for 6, 12 and 18 session implementations, supplementary workbooks and other materials are included.

L2B has been designated by CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) as an official SEL Supportive Program (2021). The complete Learning to BREATHE curriculum is available from New Harbinger Publications and  Amazon. The program is also available in Chinese from Big Apple Publishers.

About Us

“This is a much needed, extremely well thought out, and beautifully constructed curriculum. It is commonsensical, user friendly, and straightforward to implement. Most importantly, it engages you, the teacher, in developing your own mindfulness practice so that you are not asking things of your students that you are not actually exploring and experiencing for yourself. This element of honing your own personal mindfulness practice can provide great benefits in terms of your well-being and sense of ease and presence in your work. Bringing this curriculum to life in a nonmechanical way can have profound effects on your students. It can catalyze the development of embodied self-awareness and, with it, the potential for greater self-understanding, self-confidence, and emotional intelligence. This process is made easier by the inclusion of extremely effective “scripts” for each lesson, offset from the rest of the text, which can support you on the steep slope of your own learning curve. Through the systematic cultivation of attention, awareness, self-compassion, and kindness toward others—all capacities that adolescents already have and that can be strengthened through training—a set of fundamental and highly beneficial life skills are developed. These skills can help teenagers navigate more effectively through a time in life that can be confusing, filled with uncertainties, and exceedingly stressful. These life skills form the basis for building successful relationships, beginning with oneself. They can also contribute to optimizing the classroom environment and learning. Even great musicians have to first tune their instruments. It is the same with learning.”
Myla Kabat-Zinn and Jon Kabat-Zinn

Testimonials

Praise for Learning to BREATHE, 2nd Edition

This second edition of Learning To Breathe provides educators with the tools to flexibly provide high-quality mindfulness instruction. This is a “must-read” for all professionals devoted to support the healthy development of adolescents. Through years of experience with many educators, Trish Broderick, a true visionary in education, has refined this model and inspires practitioner’s valuable lessons and insights on mindfulness in education.

— Mark Greenberg, PhD, is the emeritus Bennett chair of Prevention Science at Penn State University and board chair of CREATE for Education

Broderick’s clear and comprehensive Learning to BREATHE is an outstanding achievement in the field of school-based mindfulness programming and contemplative science. It has consistently demonstrated effectiveness in clinical trials, and represents a modern social-emotional learning curriculum to support the psychological health of today’s youth. Teachers and researchers interested in evidence-based mindfulness programming for adolescents should consider this book essential reading.

— Joshua C. Felver, PhD ABPP, assistant professor at Syracuse University, director of clinical training APA-approved school psychology program, and author of Mindfulness in the Classroom

Learning to Breathe is an expertly designed program to help individuals better manage stress by developing mindful attention and self-compassion. In this workbook, Broderick presents the program in ways that are easy to understand and implement. This book is a must-have for clinicians, researchers, parents, and teachers who work with teens!

— Rachel G. Lucas-Thompson, PhD, associate professor of human development & family studies and Colorado School of Public Health at Colorado State University

Learning to Breathe, Second Edition, improves upon an already outstanding program that offers well-organized lessons that provide conceptual and practical mindfulness tools that can be integrated into real-life experiences. Teachers and students engaged in the program with curiosity, shared their experiences of improved well-being, and taught them to others including family members. What a joy to observe the experience unfold in classrooms!

— Elaine B. Berrena, MEd, instructor at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, PA

Learning to Breathe is one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly mindfulness curricula on the market. Learning to Breathe is sure to “stick” with both teachers and students to make meaningful changes in emotional self-awareness and emotional self-regulation, the cornerstones of all SEL practice. Trish Broderick is one of those rare mindfulness teachers who places the research about her own program right up front in a meticulous and transparent manner. Just BREATHE!

—Anthony Pantaleno, PhD, NYS licensed psychologist, NYS certified school psychologist, certified teacher, Koru Mindfulness

Learning to Breathe is a gift to all who support adolescents. Patricia Broderick has developed a way of guiding students in their discovery and development of core principles of mindfulness, compassion, and resilience that is both engaging and effective. The updated layout, guide for multiple implementation options, and inclusion of trauma-sensitive mindfulness teaching principles make this second edition an invaluable resource.

— Rachel Reist, LCSW, qualified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, mindfulness programs coordinator at Davis Behavioral Health

Incomparable in this field. Learning to Breathe introduces adolescents to true mindfulness, moving far beyond “relaxation.” In academic work it helps by sharpening focus and managing frustration; in family and social life, by easing strong emotion and social pressures. The clear, concise manual provides a steady guide through the curriculum; at each step including the underlying rationale, along with tips, cautions and encouragement. In training Learning to Breathe teachers, I see that Learning to Breathe mindfulness practice benefits them as much as it does their students.

— Katherine Crum, PhD, certified teacher, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Brown University) and member, Steering Committee, MBSR Teachers Collaborative of Greater New York

This is a must-read resource for clinicians and teachers who want to incorporate mindfulness in their work with adolescents. The curriculum is evidence-based, comprehensive, and easy to implement. It can be flexibly adapted based on setting, group size, and needs. Each lesson includes succinct explanations on key concepts, developmentally-appropriate activities and mindfulness practices. The pedagogical reminders and transitions added throughout each lesson in this second edition makes the curriculum so much more user-friendly.

—Joey Fung, PhD, associate professor at Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Studies

What People Are Saying

“Learning to Breathe is truly a gem that fills a critical gap in social and emotional learning programs for adolescents. With a deep commitment to helping young people navigate the social and emotional challenges of this developmental period, Broderick has artfully crafted an outstanding mindfulness-based program supported by rigorous research. The program is unique among its peers. Rather than functioning as an 'add-on' that places extra burdens on teachers, it has been successfully integrated into existing curricula and meets standards in the areas of science and health. This program is a proven method for promoting well-being and resilience among young people.”

Patricia A. Jennings, MEd, PhD

research assistant professor in human development and family studies, Prevention Research Center at Pennsylvania State University, PA

“School reform is doomed to failure until it faces the reality of kids as they come: stressed-out, overwrought, and inattentive to school work. This marvelous book fills this gap with a curriculum that helps teenagers reduce stress, handle their emotions, and master their attention. A step-by-step guide for teachers and clinicians, Learning to Breathe is clear, inventive, and practical, and it can be implemented starting tomorrow. This inspiring book is also a timely wake-up call for the nation.”
Jerome Murphy, PH.D.

Dean Emeritus , Harvard Graduate School of Education

“Learning to Breathe offers a time-tested, research-based solution to assist young people in cultivating positive qualities, such as mindful awareness and compassion for oneself and others. [The book will] inspire young people to use these qualities in the service of the greater good in the twenty-first century. I hope we see this curriculum in all of our schools.”
Robert W. Roeser, Ph.D.

professor of psychology and human development in the department of psychology, Portland State University, Portland, OR

“Engaging, varied, and user-friendly lessons make this an essential resource for any educator who wishes to bring mindfulness into the curriculum. From theory to practice, this guide provides teachers with the necessary information to make mindfulness come to life in their classrooms and in the lives of their students. A must-have for all those committed to the social and emotional health of adolescents.”

Karen Bluth, Ph.D.

research fellow at the Program of Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine at University of North Carolina, NC

“Know thyself. Building not only on the accumulated wisdom of the ages but also on the pioneering work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Broderick has created an extremely well-pitched curriculum for helping teens through what may well be tumultuous years. Practicing mindfulness, a sustained state of nonjudgmental self-awareness, has well-documented salubrious effects. In this well-written and insightful book, Broderick explains clearly what mindfulness is, why it is important, and how to teach it to our youth.”
Philip David Zelazo, PhD

Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

“Even when we have an inside familiarity with the practice of mindfulness it is challenging to make it accessible and meaningful to others. Broderick's book and program have done just this-translated the practice into a practical, accessible program for both teachers and students. The result is a curriculum that maps beautifully onto both the opportunity and the vulnerability that are inherent in the teenage years.”
Rebecca Crane, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University, UK

Our Blog

News

New Certified Trainers

Please check out the updated trainer's page to learn about the new certified trainers for L2B. Welcome to this group of dedicated teachers!

L2B at Alhambra Unified School District, California

Fuller Graduate School of Psychology and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) are partnering with Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) Gateway to Success this year to offer the 8-week Learning to Breathe (L2B) mindfulness curriculum to approximately 520...

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Evidence

There are multiple peer-reviewed published research studies that have investigated L2B’s outcomes on youth. L2B has been studied in many settings with diverse groups of students. See the table for a list of intervention studies. The complete list of L2B articles can be viewed by clicking the ‘research’ link.
See the Research Summary Table

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