Mindful Space Pte Ltd

We had a bug exploration birthday party arranged by Mindful Space. The program was very educational and fun too! We would like to try other camps/classes next time. Totally recommend!

A big shout out to Vernessa and her team from Mindful space and the wonderful people from MAD Garden for putting together a really special birthday party for my child. The kids had a blast! It was a foamy and colourful party in a really …

A place that is building a community of mindful parents through family activities, kids fun explorations of nature and feelings through art, sport, team building. A space that is made emotionally safe through compassion, recognition and respect for the beautiful kids souls that will be adults tomorrow. My daughter practised aerial yoga here and both my kids look forward to attend camps here. We also asked Vernessa’s team help to organize my 8 year old party: It was a lovely day for the kids with aerial yoga and batik painting in the garden. I am very happy to support this business and this team for the extremely valuable work they are doing.

Your mileage may vary - we came to know Mindful Space through an unrelated enrichment class held at their Newton studio. I had followed and supported their initiatives in principle, and was encouraged to sign up for their ages 5-10 aerial yoga even though my child is 4 and a half, and told it was suitable. At the first class this term, I happened to come up early for pickup and listened in to a prolonged exchange where Teacher Clara repeatedly expressed frustration with my child who was struggling to follow the class and expressing her discomfort at an older child continuously teasing her and invading her personal space. After the class Teacher Clara shared some feedback that felt critical and uninformed to me, especially as my child is younger than the rest and doing this for the first time. It reminded me a lot of yoga teachers who are not as inclusive as they brand their studio or community to be, making it hard for such spaces to feel welcoming and accessible to those not part of the in-group. After having a discussion with my child, we agreed to continue and went to 2 more classes - my husband also felt the teachers were not very welcoming or supportive (compared to our other classes/educators) when he met them at the second class, though he had no issue with the feedback shared on our child. At the third class I again came up early and heard the same older child curse very loudly to no reaction from the two teachers present. This is an aerial yoga class, and cursing is not something anyone would condone in such an environment or around young children. Or so I thought. After the class ended and hearing adults in the room refer to me as my child’s mummy, the same older child asked loudly if I was her mummy or maid - again to no reaction. In case you’re unaware, this is casual racism or a microaggression. I won’t speak for others, but my child is mixed race, goes to an inclusive preschool and attends forest school as well as other classes where she is taught to socialise and care for other children of all ages, needs and backgrounds. She gets actionable, constructive feedback and we actively partner with educators to support her emotional and physiological skills. It seems incredulous that as a parent who supports and advocates for safe spaces, I’m told by a homogenous group to treat it as a teaching moment when they make no attempt to address demeaning comments, tolerate teasing of vulnerable children for prolonged periods and allow harsh language IN their classes. It’s a personal decision to continue or look elsewhere, but given the word salad Vernessa sent as a response to my concerns and the lack of feedback/facilitation of it to the older child’s parents - my multicultural family is happy to leave this place behind and be rid of any concerns about our child being made to feel small/lesser or tolerate unacceptable behaviour. I can’t say the same for the adults minding the children at “Mindful” Space, I suppose it’s more “do as I say, not as I do” for them.