b'storytelling, yoga, drama and mindfulness exercis- Tangled Feet draw on the benefits of play tofind what fits (Landy 1993). This in turn allows es with similar aims, teaching children tools forhelp children better understand their own emo- for a fuller awareness and development of theBishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, coping with anxiety and uncertainty. tions. Through the physical embodiment andego, which drama becomes the method for; it is:N. D., Carmody, J., Velting, D. (2004). Mindfulness: A personification of different emotions as objectsa large-scale laboratory of life examination andproposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Scienceand Practice, 11 (3), 230 241. http://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.Mindfulness could be an important tool toand animals in the workshops, they provide astudy (Burton 1966, cited by Courtney 1974:55).bph077. [Accessed 5 April 2022]aid recovery in childrens mental health in aspace for the children to connect with feelings post-pandemic educational landscape. However,such as anger, anxiousness, frustration etc. InFurthermore, the dramatic setting of the work- Carrin, VG, & Rettger, J (eds) (2019). Applied Mindfulness: there needs to be a clear distinction here betweenthis way, play is used to unlock a more roundedshop, in being separate from the usual structuredApproaches in Mental Health for Children and Adolescents, Ameri-mindful practices and a mindful state of being, as theawareness in the children of their own emotions.approach of the classroom, allows children tocan Psychiatric Association Publishing, Washington, D.C. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [Accessed 14 latter does not necessarily require the former. IfThe workshops are inherently playful in nature;try on different personality roles. An example ofFebruary 2022].mindfulness is a state of becoming connected tothe through-line of the project is grounded inthis was witnessed in one of the exercises on the our inner being, then drama could be an alterna- the story of three friends who explore differenteaster camp where the children had to say some- Courtney, R. (1974). Play, Drama and Thought, 3rd Edition, tive tool to achieve this; through dramatic play,environments such as caves, forests, mountainsthing kind they had done for someone else in theLondon. Cassell & Collier Macmillan Publishers Ltd. children are grappling with the essence of theirand meadows, with each environment evoking apast day. One child was adamant he had not doneEversden, E. (2022). Mindfulness and Drama in young being, putting on different roles and shaping adifferent emotion. The cave week environmentanything kind at all and being the ringleader ofchildren. Interview by Holly Cove [Zoom], 31 March 2022.personality through the externalisation of playingbecomes synonymous with scared or anxiousa group of boys who were the most disruptive with objects and differentiating between me andemotions, which are embodied on the journey theand resistant, it became clear that appearing kindEversden, E. (2022). The Mindfulness Project Easter Camp, work-not-me. Drama and mindful practices have in- leaders take the children on: for instance, by hav- did not fit within the boundaries of his socialshop. Wigmore Primary School, Luton. Delivered 7 April trinsic similarities in the reflection they bring toing to crouch low and tuck themselves up small torole as a tough and well-respected leader. It was2022.the internal of the external, both allowing ways toimagine they are exploring a cramped, dark cave.surprising then when later, in a game of Gran- Goldstein, J. (1980). The experience of insight: A natural unfolding . connect with our inner being. If we consider thatThrough the physical imagination of being in anys footsteps, he gave his role of grandma (aBoston, MA: Shambhala Publications.drama is a central part of the childs experience,cave and the scared feelings, the children explorehighly sought-after prize for winning the previous we uncover the potential of the dramatic form tothe bounds of that emotion in a safe environment,round) to a friend who hadnt had a go. WithinKabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of help children better manage their emotions, andacknowledging it as a valid and real emotion, andthe confines of the game, in the liminal spaceyour body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, NY: deal with difficult and transitional times in theircan then associate with other times they have feltdrama occupies between reality and pretend, heDelacorte.childhood and in later life, for we must providethat emotion. In this sense it is reminiscent ofwas able to try on kindness as a role without theLandy, R. (1993), Persona and Performance, the meaning of role education that enables human beings to developSlades delineation between personal and project- pressure to fit in with his peers.It is in thein drama, therapy and everyday life, London. Jessica Kingsley their human qualities (Courtney 1974:8). ed play. Although Slade argues both forms arerecording, assessing and experimentation thePublishers Ltd. important to a happy, healthy, developed person- child is granted through dramatic play by whichLangley, D. (2006).An Introduction to Dramatherapy. Creative Tangled Feet and Playality, personal play is the development from pro- a more total awareness and continuing andTherapies in Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Availa-jected play whereby ideas, roles and characters arerepeated adjustment is more nearly approachedble at: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446218402 [Accessed It is on this grounding I begin an analysis of theprojected onto external objects such as the dolland gradually achieved (Burton 1966, cited by24 Jan 2022].use of play by Tangled Feet in their mindfulnessor toy cars, to a more embodied play, whereby theCourtney 1974:55). It is the trying on of different project workshops. I was invited to observe anchild becomes totally and personally, even spirit- roles and situations in an environment free fromMcNees, D. (2015). Exploring the Adolescents Creative Pathways: Mindfulness, Role Fluidity, Story, and the easter camp of The Mindfulness Project at a pri- ually, responsible for the action (Slade 1998:110).playground pressures which can be really freeingDramatic Curriculum, NAMTA Journal, 40(3), pp. 5574. mary school in Luton, set up by Active Luton forThe physicality of being in the cave, crouchedfor young people and allow them a judgment-freeAvailable at: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1077011 [Accessed 14 Pupil Premium children. This, alongside viewinglow and tucked into a ball, is a form of personalzone to experiment in (Eversden 2022: 00:41:00).February 2022].The Mindfulness Project at Home videos cre- play. Allowing them to feel it physically gives the ated in lockdown 2020, gives me a well-roundedleaders a way to access their emotions indirectly,Additionally, if mindfulness as a state of beingSeymour, A. (2009). Dramatherapy and Social Theatre: A Question of Boundaries. In: Jennings, S. ed. Dramatherapy understanding of the format and content of theand a way for the children to be explore whatis an increased awareness of the self and thoseand Social Theatre: Necessary Dialogues (1st ed.). London: Rout-project and a basis for exploring how they utilisefeeling scared is like in a safe and held environ- around us, it could be seen as a practice of em- ledge. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203876367 play in their work. The workshops are mostlyment (Slade 1998:111).pathy. If the goal is to see without judgement,[Accessed 12 Jan 2022]aimed at children in transition years such as Keywe have to register the humanity in the people Stage 1, who are living with/at risk of living withAlongside this, taking on different roles througharound us, which requires empathy to under- Slade, P. (1998). The Importance of Dramatic Play in Education and Therapy, Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 3(3), anxiety or isolation, as they move into more struc- playing different characters, situations and en- stand their situation. If the purpose of the childspp. 110112. doi: 10.1017/S1360641798001592. [Accessed 15 tured learning approaches (Tangled Feet 2022).vironments in the workshops offers a uniqueplay is to master reality (Courtney 1974:80) thenMarch 2022]However, the universality of the project allows itinsight into other peoples perspectives to engen- dramatic play, in the way Tangled Feet use it, to benefit many different types of children. Forder a more total awareness of the self in relationencourages this very empathy through the explo- Tangledfeet.com (2022). Mindfulness - Tangled Feet. [on-example, the Active Luton project was aimed atto others, as it is the consciousness of the self andration of roles and the rehearsal for life. Dramaline] Available at https://tangledfeet.com/take-part/mind-vulnerable children from low-income families tonot-self. Dramatic play allows for the role-playingthen, provides the perfect outlet for this explora- fulness [Accessed 3 February 2022].offer a way for the children to help process trau- stage of role development, whereby we begin totion, which by extension makes it an inherentlyWitkiewitz, K, Roos, CR, Colgan, DD, & Bowen, S (2018). ma and learn coping mechanisms.try on different roles through playing, to test themindful practice. Mindfulness, Hogrefe Publishing, Deutschland. Available boundaries of the self and outside the self andfrom: ProQuest Ebook Central. [Accessed 20 March 2022].38 39'