Mindful Movement

The Cause

At the Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch outside of Edmonton, Alberta, we provide intensive, outcomes-based mental health support and trauma treatment to address the pain of childhood sexual abuse for children and families. The Be Brave Ranch offers a clinically proven program combining evidence-based and other therapies for children ages 8-12 and teen girls ages 13-16. Programming starts with an initial 28 day stay at the Ranch for children 8-12, and 12 days for teen girls. Throughout the year, children return to the Ranch for three additional 12-day stays to continue their face-to-face therapy and reconnect in person with their cohort. Each child in the program receives more than 200 hours of multimodal therapy from clinical professionals.

An increasing body of research indicates that yoga and mindfulness improve both physical and mental health in school-age children. Yoga improves balance, strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity. Yoga and mindfulness offer psychological benefits for children as well. A growing body of research shows that yoga can improve focus, memory, self-esteem, academic performance, and classroom behavior and can even reduce anxiety and stress in children. Children in the Be Brave Ranch treatment program participate in mindful movement and yoga each week, but at home between treatment rounds, they report difficulty continuing their practice. In response, we are building a mindful movement "take home" program with yoga and mindfulness techniques to promote wellness and reduce stress. The program will include videos, readings and visuals to guide the children and their caregivers through movement practices to support healthy habits at home. The mindful movement program is an important ongoing part of the Ranch treatment and support program.

Who Will it Benefit?

With approximately 150 children and teens participating in our onsite Ranch program each year, and an additional 50 children and 100 adults in our online "Bridge" program, we anticipate that 400 - 450 family members and caregivers will benefit from the impacts of this program each and every year. The mental and physical health benefits of the mindful movement program help create real and lasting change on the lives of the children who participate as well as their families.

There is also the potential that the children and teens in our program will share the Mindful Movement program with at least one of their friends and/or peers, as is often reported to us, for an additional 150 children/teens who could benefit each and every year.