NEW YORK (PasseportSanté.net) November 1, 2005 – Yoga, tai chi and even meditation for children? These are the different approaches that therapist Melanie Gambino uses with students at a private school near New York.1, as part of a new global health program.
“Our approach consists of supporting students in their personal development and helping them to cope with the various social pressures to which they are subjected,” explains this calm woman, but overflowing with contagious enthusiasm. She has accumulated diplomas and experiences in fields as varied as energy healing, yoga, tai chi, shiatsu, dance, theater, meditation, not to mention spirituality. She also acts as chaplain at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, in Valhalla2.
No time to have friends?
What strikes Melanie Gambino most about young people is the degree of stress they are under, consciously or not. “The sources of stress are many and intense,” she says. In addition to academic, parental and social pressures, the fast pace of life leaves little time for young people to appreciate the good sides of life. “
According to her, some children don’t even have time to have friends! “Many are already cynical in the face of life which they find hard and difficult”, she laments. But, she is convinced that she can change the point of view of these young people on life, if only by teaching them to stop for a few minutes in a day.
The basics of the body-mind approach
The program developed by Melanie Gambino integrates notions already known to students – sexuality, drugs, anatomy and nutrition – through the principles of the body-mind approach. “I make sure that they learn to better listen to their being and that they try to balance each of the facets of health, that is to say the physical, the psychological, the emotional and the spiritual”, explains this therapist who perceives herself more like a “coach” in overall health.
Yoga, meditation, tai chi and dancing help young people not only to cope better with stress, but also to develop a positive image of themselves. And this strategy seems to be working, for most young people at least. However, it is too early to know if the results are positive, this school program for comprehensive health has only been in place since the start of the 2005 school year.
Melanie Gambino is optimistic that the approach will be beneficial in the daily life of her students and even throughout their lives. She knows what she is talking about, she, who was introduced to yoga and other alternative approaches from an early age: “I believe that our approach can help children to better develop their human potential over time – not just by in terms of health, but also in terms of creativity and everything that gives meaning to life. “
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. The Harvey School is located in Katonah, approximately 100 km north of New York City. It accommodates 330 primary and secondary students. The school’s website is www.harveyschool.org/bins/site/templates/splash.asp [Consulté le 31 octobre 2005].
2. Blythedale Children’s Hospital is a 92-bed, non-profit hospital located in Valhalla, approximately 37 miles north of New York City. The hospital’s website is www.blythedale.org/default.asp [Consulté le 31 octobre 2005].
