Danny Dyer calls for mindfulness to be taught in schools
Danny Dyer believes mindfulness should be taught at a young age.
Danny Dyer believes mindfulness should be taught in schools.
The Rivals actor credits his stint in rehab in South Africa a decade ago for helping him learn to "sit with" his thoughts and feelings and focus on being in the moment, and he believes it is such an important skill to be able to control his emotions, all young people should learn how to do it.
He told The Guardian newspaper: “We had to go outside and pick up a leaf, and study all the veins in it. I thought, what the fuck are we doing here? It was actually training your brain to calm that fear.
"You’re concentrating in the moment rather than thinking of all the s*** that has happened in the past or could happen. It’s about being able to sit with your own thoughts and feelings, and that’s something I’m very comfortable with now. I think they should teach kids this at school.
“If you talk about meditation to most people, they laugh. They go, ‘I haven’t got time. What, you’re sitting here going, Mmmmmm?’
"But it’s all about breathing. Oxygen is a f****** healer. It’s important. Now and again when I have these moments of anxiety, I just breathe.”
The 48-year-old star - who has Dani, 29, Sunnie, 19, and 12-year-old Arty with wife Joanne - worries about the impact of technology and AI on young people and their developing brains.
He said: “We’re regressing. Back in the day, if you didn’t know something you couldn’t just punch it into a phone and find out the answer. It just makes us f****** lazy, you know what I mean? It’s detrimental for society and for our brains.”
Danny encourages his son to get outside as much as possible but admitted it is a struggle.
He said: “I do as much as I can with him. We go out on our bikes together. And I’ve taught him to play chess. I have to let him win, because he’s such a bad loser.
“Now the kids sit indoors on a beautiful day playing games. There’s no incentive to go out now, and knock on your mate’s door. They can communicate in their headphones all day long in their house, shooting s***, and this is what we have to adapt to as parents.”
The former EastEnders star thinks men need to be in touch with their emotions.
He said: “I like masculinity in men and taking the piss out of each other, but it’s also important to be able slip into that feminine side and open up about your feelings.
"We’re brought up as young boys to be boys, but not men.
“You have to find out how to be a decent man. We’re so frightened of being too cuddly or affectionate or crying.”
