Nick Ferrari Tries Out Mindfulness Exercise

5 February 2019, 10:56 | Updated: 5 February 2019, 14:10

As schools in England prepare to take part in a mental health trial, Nick Ferrari tries out a mindfulness session in the LBC studio.

More than 300 schools in England will take part in one of the largest mental health trials in the world, designed to support mental health and well-being.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds announced the trial that will see hundreds of children and young people learning how to use a range of methods from mindfulness exercises, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises to help them control their emotions.

Nick Ferrari experienced some of these techniques in the LBC studio with help from a teacher who teaches mindfulness to his students.

Richard Burnett, a teacher and co-founder of the Mindfulness in Schools Project, said that he introduces mindfulness to children by concentrating on body sensations.

"The way I introduce kids to it, is mindfulness is a training of the attention to be present to what is actually happening," he said.

"A good anchor for the present moment is body sensation."

He then invited Nick to hold out his hands, and to talk him through a series of steps to help people reach a sense of calm.

In his announcement, Damian Hinds said that the trials on schoolchildren are "key to improving our understanding of how practical, simple advice can help young people cope with the pressures they face".

The study is expected to run until 2021, and will include schools in Brighton and Hove, Devon, Doncaster, London Borough of Merton, North Yorkshire, North Tyneside, Salford, Staffordshire and West Berkshire.

Watch Nick Ferrari experience a mindfulness exercise in the video above.