By Sarah Kahn
Staff Writer
South Bay Families Connected partnered with Beach Cities Health District to host an event to address mindfulness for teens at FitOn Studios on Dec. 4.
The event was organized by co-owner of FitOn studios Franca Stadvec and founder of SBFC Laura McIntire. The mindfulness practice consisted of guided meditation and was lead by FitOn studios instructor Kim Digilio.
“She was chosen because she’s fantastic and knows what she’s doing,” Stadvec said. “Her technique is user friendly and she can share her experiences with mindfulness.”
The event featured an introduction to mindfulnesss and its benefits. Digilio shared her experience with mindfulness and how if she had discovered it earlier, her life would’ve been less stressful. Digilio also mentioned how she would have been more accepting and forgiving of herself.
“I remember a lot of stress and rough patterns of thought,” Digilio said. “I would have spared myself a lot of pain, unhappiness, and anxiety if I discovered mindfulness earlier.”
Starting with a guided visualization of mediation, attendees were instructed to lie down. Digilio walked around the studio and instructed teens to focus on themselves. She then moved into a seated mediation.
Photos: Students are meditating as Kim Digilio guides them.
“I taught everybody to relearn or get reacquainted with their breath,” Digilio said. “It allows them to hit pause on everything that’s been going on outside of that moment so they can become more connected and focused to what’s happening internally.”
Video: South Bay Families Connected’s video displaying the purpose behind the organization.
This is the first event SBFC has hosted of the Teen Wellness Speaker Series primarily directed towards teens, McIntire said. Previously, SBFC has hosted book talks centered around wellness books as well as other workshops on mindfulness directed towards parents.
Link: Visit South Bay Families Connected’s page featuring their past and upcoming events.
“We thought that offering a healthy way of resisting stress before finals could help kids blow off steam and possibly establish some life-long habits,” McIntire said. “They can utilize them and help them cope with stressful times throughout their lives.”
Link: Visit Fiton Studio’s website.
SBFC will host a similar class for students after finals, McIntire said. According to McIntire, SBFC has several events planned for 2017, yet there are no specific dates.
“We have an exciting lineup for this winter,” McIntire said. “Topics will expand to a number of social and emotional wellness topics.”
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