Congruence: Heart, Mind, and Body Connection

The literal definition of congruence is, "agreement or harmony; compatibility". The purpose of this manual is to help children, teens, and adults learn and practice the skills to foster living in congruence with the self. True congruence with the self is when there is harmony between the heart, mind, and body. When all things are working congruently there is a level of inner awareness and self - confidence that is formed. Living in congruence produces the feeling of "living in the zone", "living in the flow".

Learning to live in congruence with one's self has proven to decrease anxiety, promotes emotional self-regulation, improve moods, enhances effective communication, fosters emotional intelligence (motivation, empathy, self-awareness, social skills, and self-reflection), and provides a sense of balance and inner peace to the individual. The exercises outlined in this manual are targeted to enhance awareness of breath, body sensations, thoughts, feelings, behavior, and to foster shaping positively intended core beliefs.

Research has supported that teaching children and adolescents the skills outlined in this curriculum and by practicing these skills daily; academic performance improves, anxiety among students decreases, overall moods improve, bully - like behaviors decrease, attentiveness and concentration increases, resiliency improves, students demonstrate an enhanced ability to manage stress, the use of effective communication styles are enhanced, students are more self - aware of themselves and others, and the ability to self - regulate emotions improve. Furthermore, learning and practicing these skills has demonstrated a positive effect on stimulation to certain parts of the brain (evidenced by functional M.R.I's and observations) that are responsible for emotional self-regulation, impulse control, attention, and appropriate social development.

Building and maintaining a congruent relationship between the heart and brain supports living in harmony with ones self and enhances that ability to trust their intuition.