![]() “ Not only does it increase focus and attention, it improves pro-social behaviour, enhances daily happiness, and increases levels of calm while decreasing stress and anxiety ” (The Mindful Classroom, 2012). “ Studies of the impact of deep belly breathing have been done on everyone from stressed out medical students, to hardened criminals sitting in maximum security prisons, to kids with ADD and ADHD. ![]() When breathing is intentionally and deliberately taught, practiced and regulated, the brain is prepared and trained to think what initiates and activates mindful behavior” (Hawn Foundation, 2011). “Intentional and controlled breathing reduces anxiety by superseding a ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ reaction initiated in the amygdala transferring control to the prefrontal cortex where conscious thought takes place. MindUP emphasizes deep belly breathing as a “core practice” for all students, adults and classrooms and this is the foundational approach for the whole curriculum. This curriculum is divided into 4 core units: a) getting focused b) sharpening your senses c) it's all about attitude and d) taking action mindfully. The desired outcome is increased awareness of their thoughts, impulses, feelings and behavior (Hawn Foundation, 2011). This focused effort helps children link what takes place inside their mind with the actual situation. The MindUp Curriculum (available in the Earlywood Lending Library) provides curricular guidelines and activities to help staff work with students to increase their understanding of their own brain and mental processes as well as the connection between their brain and body. Matthew Brensilver of Mindful Schools ( ) defines mindfulness as “having both present-time awareness and mental calmness.” This set of skills is often referred to as mindfulness. We can help students reduce stress, manage anxiety, and maximize the learning capacity of the brain through focused attention, controlling our breathing, and mindfulness training (Hawn Foundation, 2011). “It is now well established that social emotional skills, such as the ability to manage one’s emotions and get along with others, play an integral role in academic and life success” (Hawn Foundation, 2011 pg. However, we usually aren’t teaching students HOW to do these things. ![]() He clearly demonstrates how effective he can be at breaking through barriers and getting to the essence of the value and focusing everyone clearly on moving the projects forward.As educators we often ask students to pay attention, calm down or self regulate. Riccardo is a true entrepreneur in the sense that he applies his practical insights to innovating higher education, an area that is typically resistant to change. My recurring question is "why not try", Riccardo's mantra response is "let's get started now and this is how we can do it". His insights into the inner workings of the organization, how to best navigate through the challenges, and his focus on accomplishing win win goals inspire me to want to do more to advance the practices of business education. ![]() We have worked together to create synergies between the PhD Plus and the MBA program across the University research community. Riccardo is dedicated to helping the MBA executives realize their full potential. His counsel to the executives in the University of Pisa International MBA program is an integral part of their experience in helping them to establish lasting relationships that create a social network asset. Riccardo's work is helping to foster the next generation of leaders who are prepared to take on the challenges of building businesses globally.
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