On the back of its latest Healthy Futures survey, which shows that 60% of parents in New Zealand are concerned about their children’s ability to cope with the pressures of life, Southern Cross has teamed up with Sir Ashley Bloomfield and Pause Breathe Smile to highlight the importance of good mental health. The trio has released a new online mindfulness practice available free to all New Zealanders via the Pause Breathe Smile app and website.
Sir Ashley says, “Practising mindfulness helps people to be resilient, and resilient people know their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual boundaries and take active steps to protect these. Over recent years, I have personally seen the benefits of mindfulness within my own whānau, and I have also started practising it myself.
“This Mindfulness Day, on 12 September, I invite New Zealanders to try out the new Kindness Across the Motu practice that I’ve recorded. It’s a mindfulness recording available on the Pause Breathe Smile app, which can be downloaded free from most app stores.”
Sir Ashley is the mind health ambassador for Pause Breathe Smile, a programme fully funded by Southern Cross Healthcare for tamariki aged 5 to 12 years old. The programme is delivered in schools by teachers across Aotearoa.
Like any good public health intervention, Sir Ashley says Pause Breathe Smile has benefits not only for tamariki but also for their whānau, schools, and the wider community.
“I am passionate about Pause Breathe Smile, a homegrown New Zealand programme for our tamariki which has been shown through research to drive more positive behaviours and to help children regulate emotions, pay attention, and build positive relationships.”
Pause Breathe Smile co-creator Grant Rix says that since joining forces with Southern Cross in 2020, 150,000 students and over 500 schools have been taught valuable skills to help navigate life’s challenges.
“Thanks to the support of Southern Cross Healthcare, Pause Breathe Smile is available to kura, primary, or intermediate schools, and they can take part for free in this proven mindfulness programme. Students can develop resilience, increase self-awareness, and improve overall happiness so they can be more resilient, positive, and ready to face challenging situations in their own lives. We’ve also seen an uplift in the wellbeing of teachers who deliver the programme.”
Mindfulness Day is an emerging annual event aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of practising mindfulness—a mental skill developed through focusing attention and thinking in the present moment.
“Southern Cross Healthcare is proud to fund the Pause Breathe Smile programme for tamariki in Aotearoa and to support the launch of the kindness practice to enhance the mental wellbeing of New Zealanders this Mindfulness Day,” says Southern Cross Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Chris White.
“Our purpose at Southern Cross is to help New Zealanders access more healthy years, and mental health is a key component of overall health.”
You can access the new Kindness Across the Motu mindfulness practice here: pausebreathesmile.nz/free-resources/.