Week#2 Mindfulness

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

· Define the terms: Inhale, Exhale, mindfulness

· Practice belly breathing

· Use belly breathing as a strategy to promote calm

Essential Questions:

· What is mindfulness?

· Why is belly breathing helpful?

· How can we use belly breathing to focus and relax?

Standards:

M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being

M 2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

Pre-test Questions

1. Do you know what mindfulness is? Yes No

2. Have you tried belly breathing? Yes No

3. Have you tried any strategies to help you calm down? Yes No

4. What have you tried?

Instructions/ Directions

1. To introduce children to this idea, I discuss that mindfulness means being aware of what is happening right at this moment in time.

2. I ask children to think about a past memory that makes them feel happy.

3. Have a couple of students share.

4. Then ask questions to think about something in the future that they are excited about.

5. Once they think of something, ask them to pause or think what is happening around them. For example, can they hear rain on the windows? Smell lunch in the kitchen?

6. Let students know that part of mindfulness is not thinking about the past or the future but focusing on the present moment and go over the mindfulness poster below.

Transition to activity #1

7. Ask students to quietly sit still and pay attention to their breath

8. Ask the students to close their eyes for a silent poll.

9. Have students raise their hands if they have ever felt anxious, nervous, busy, mad, frustrated, sad or jealous.

10. Count how many hands are raised and let them know these feelings happen to everyone.

11. Introduce them to the term “belly breathing.” And Begin focused belly breathing instruction:

12. Instruct the students to place their hands on their bellies. Guide them to close their eyes, or, if closing the eyes makes them nervous, offer that they can look at a spot on the floor in front of them instead.

13. Tell the students to breathe in and out through the nose and focus their attention on their breathing.

14. Play Second Step video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4W_VUb4aRY&t=5s

15. Guide the students to take slower, deeper breaths. Ask the students to notice the movement of their hands. Notice that the belly expands when they breathe in, and the belly gets smaller when they breathe out. Inhale into your hands, exhale relax the belly. Let them focus on their breathing for one full minute. Tell them to use the volume knob to turn down the volume of the thoughts if they get too loud.

16. Have the students open their eyes and share what they experienced.

Transition to Activity #2

17. The second time practicing belly breathing have the students focus on the breathing star. As you are tracing your finger on the star notice your breathing, notice the temperature of the air. The cool air entering the nostrils and the warm air leaving the nostrils.

18 Students will share to discuss which practice worked best for them. Students will discuss or journal for the prompt: Which practice worked best for you? Why? Please describe your belly breath experience and how you could use it in future.

19 Closure: say: When you feel strong emotions like disappointment, frustration, embarrassment, jealousy, anger, resentment, fear, anxiety, nervousness, sadness, try to take 10 deep breaths into your belly to stay calm and not let those emotions get out of control. When your thoughts take your focus away from your breathing, try to quiet them with the volume knob or use the thought eraser. Use your breath to give yourself a little pause so you don’t react too quickly. Teacher will check for understanding during discussion

POST-TEST

1. Do you know what mindfulness is? Yes No

2. Have you tried belly breathing? Yes No

3. Have you tried any strategies to help you calm down? Yes No

4. What have you tried?