Mindfulness From the Start

  The first 1,000 days of an infant’s life—from conception through roughly age two—represent one of the most critical windows of human development. From an infant mental health lens, this period is not only about physical growth and milestone achievement, but about the formation of emotional security, brain architecture, identity, and the capacity to form healthy relationships across a lifetime. During these early days, the infant’s brain is developing at a rapid and extraordinary pace. Millions of neural connections are formed every second, shaped directly by experiences of care, safety, and connection. Relationships become the environment in which the brain grows. An infant does not develop in isolation; their development is sculpted by how consistently their needs are met, how emotionally attuned caregivers are, and how safe their world feels. Infant mental health focuses on the social and emotional wellbeing of babies within the context of their relationships. It recognizes t...

  Mindfulness and Play—How Young Children Learn to Process Big Emotions Young children experience emotions with their whole bodies. Joy, fear, frustration, and sadness often arrive quickly and intensely, long before children have the words to explain what they are feeling. This is where mindfulness and play naturally come together. Play is a child’s first language. Through play, children rehearse experiences, express emotions, and make sense of their world. When mindfulness is woven into play—through slowing down, noticing sensations, naming feelings, and grounding in the present moment—it becomes a powerful therapeutic tool. In Mindful Beginnings , a cognitive therapeutic approach grounded in mindfulness and play, children are gently guided to identify and process emotions in developmentally appropriate ways. This is not about asking children to “calm down” or “use their words” before they are ready. It is about meeting them where they are and co-regulating alongside them. The ...