Three years ago, I trained to be a mindfulness teacher in schools. I had to take an eight-week mindfulness course every Thursday after school for 90 minutes. Two of the ten participating teachers left; the rest of us — to our surprise — didn’t resent it at the end of a tiring week; we started looking forward to it because we felt so calm and energised afterwards. I practised daily for six months and after that, attended a four-day course to become qualified.

Teaching it weekly, I discovered it was easier with younger pupils: aged 15 and up, they were disengaged and eye-rolly. Years seven and eight enjoyed the practices: even those giggly to begin with begged for “Beditation’”(their favourite), which involved lying on the floor, eyes closed, breathing deeply, doing a guided body scan. Stressed by tests and exams, they arrived at school panicky and jittery, but they relaxed so much, even after ten minutes, that they could barely drag themselves up to go to lessons. Worried initially that they’d forget what they’d revised, they soon realised that wasn’t the case and asked for it repeatedly. The sitting practices were less comfortable: being an art room, our form room had only stools — perhaps that’s why they liked Beditation so much. Or perhaps because they could completely relax, and being so tired and wound up, they needed that.

We stopped teaching mindfulness for various reasons — time, predominantly. Also, I think it’s more effective if you choose to do it, not have it thrust upon you, and it’s hard for self-conscious teens to relax in classrooms rife with friendship issues. But mindfulness has merit: studies show that, like learning any new skill, it reprogrammes the brain. It can also help reduce anxiety and restlessness, which kids need with their addiction to tech and their increasing inability to focus.

Or so we’re told. Decreasing attention spans have been widely researched but some results are surprising. Dr Gemma Briggs, a psychologist at the Open University, studies the effect of dual-tasking on our attention and perception, specifically what we recall and why when witnessing a crime, and actions like driving while talking on the phone. She believes there is no “typical” concentration span, so saying attention levels have decreased recently is inaccurate; instead, she has found our ability to focus is scenario- and task-dependent, relying partly on what’s happening in that moment and situation, and partly what we’re doing in that moment and situation.

Which brings us to Pesach. Faced with a mountain of cleaning, planning, shopping, cooking and spending, we can become stressed and exhausted. Many of us reach seder night drained and still worrying — will the kids behave, the food be tasty, the guests happy? But it’s an important and exciting night: Am Yisrael walked from slavery to freedom. They worked hard to reach this moment, and on a lesser level, so did we.

I found mindfulness valuable because it’s about being in the moment, and stopping the mental chatter long enough to enjoy where we are and what we’re doing. What we’re doing now are the Pesach preparations, and soon we’ll sit to retell the exodus with people who mean a great deal to us. It’s an honour to have another opportunity and another year to do that. Taking a few deep breaths as we sit for the seder will release cortisol and give our muscles some much-needed oxygen. By allowing our minds a moment to reflect, we’ll realise that no seder will ever be like this one, with these people beside us at the age they are now. Some loved ones and friends may be absent, but these ones are here, and so are we. It’s a shechiyanu moment: we made it to this day and this time. We have another chance to relive the whole Pesach experience, the challenging and the wonderful. Despite everything we’ve been through as a people and as individuals, we have much to be thankful for. And we’re continuing traditions and creating memories that matter. Pesach is stressful and tiring, yes. But we have another opportunity to enjoy it for what it is, and share it with those we love, and that’s definitely worth taking a few deep breaths for.