Transforming Lives,
One Breath at a Time

I'm so so grateful that I had stumbled upon mindful space when searching for holiday camps for my P1 son. As my son has difficulties in controlling his emotions, I had wanted a camp that was focus on emotion well being. There aren't many kiddos camps around that focus on that. I had first reached out to the instructors to let them know about his situation to see if they are okay to accept my son. Vernessa who I had spoken to was very assuring over the call and welcoming for my son to join the 5 days of camp. Throughout the 5 days of camp, there had been episodes where my son was unable to control his anger and was disruptive to the class, but the instructors were able to understand him at his level and taught him to regulate himself without disrupting of the class. Despite the outbursts, my son still look forward to going to the camp every morning and shares that he enjoys himself. More importantly, he had great takeaways from the camp and had shared with our family - like learning how thoughts and words can be powerful and how if affects our habits and character. My husband and I are also in awe with the level of understanding and care that the instructors have for my child. They provided much insights to my child's behaviour and made many helpful suggestions. Vernessa had also introduced us to a therapist who may assist my child better. The team had also provided a super detailed write up and suggestions 1 to 2 weeks after the camp which is really helpful!

Much as we love our child, his emotions outbursts can be hard to deal with and at times leave us helpless and frustrated. We had started counselling sessions for a few months which had helped initially but seem to be at a standstill for awhile now and seems like we are back to the initial stage of helplessness. Vernessa and her team was able share new perspectives on my son's behaviour and their suggestions becomes our new tools to help our son in regulating his emotions and for that we are really grateful. The detailed observation of our child will not be possible without the love, care and big hearts from team. Kudos to Vernessa and her team for creating this safe and healthy programme and space for the kiddos!

I must start by saying that Mindful Space curates the best learning experiences for families! With them, we have gone for walks in the nights in search of bats, learnt the patience behind the hobby of fishing, enjoyed walking through streams in the rain, posed on aerial yoga hammocks gracefully and even handcrafted our own wooden toy.

These are activities I would probably not have done (or thought of doing) with my children, if not for Mindful Space.

What really amazes me is how Vernessa (founder of Mindful Space) always makes a point to get to know the participants and connect with us on a personal level. It truly shows the passion she has in her work!

All the other teachers/coaches we encounter on the programmes are kind in their words and interactions too. I learnt tips along the way as a participating parent and I treasure these shared experiences with my child.

Deciding to sign my 13-year-old up for a three-day camp with Mindful Space was on the spur of the moment. Dreading to have a naturally sedentary teen growing roots on the TV couch during the June holidays, I was intrigued when I read about Mindful Space's programme, particularly their aerial yoga activity.

Those three days came and went, and as usual, I didn't get a lot of information out of a teen apart from the fact that he had a lot of fun and wasn't bothered by the large age gap with his camp mates.

Then a week later, I received a post-camp message from Mindful Space.

Oh my, it is by far, the most detailed and best post-camp review I’ve ever read. True to their business name, someone took the time and effort to mindfully communicate to me about my child and his time at the camp. Not only was the message kind and thoughtful, but it was definitely on point about what kind of person he is, and the areas in which we can continue to help him flourish.

One of the "wow" moments for my child was how he attempted and succeeded in doing a handstand. To some parents of naturally well-coordinated and active kids, this may not seem like much, but for my child, it was huge. He was so surprised and proud of himself - for trying and overcoming. From the note, I especially love how the teachers were able to identify a huge learning point for him through this activity - there was an acknowledgement of fear, followed by an acceptance of self, before embarking on the actual learning of the technique and continual practice.

In our busy, modern society, many people, including adults, get buried with the "doing" but missed out on the critical stage of "being". Once in a while, we all need to recalibrate and reframe our mindsets so that we can be better equipped to embark on the "handstands of our lives".

I'm also happy to report that my child's posture has improved. When waiting for the bus recently, I noticed he was sitting upright when he would otherwise be hunched up like a little old man.

While Singapore is in no lack of children's holiday camps, life-transforming programmes like these are rare and precious. Thank you so much, Mindful Space.

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