Mindfulness is the practice of noticing what we are feeling, thinking, sensing, and doing in the present moment. It is often defined as living in the moment without judgment. But many of us don’t always function that way.

When a thought pops into our heads, it can be colored by what has happened in the past or what we think might happen in the future. Even if the thought isn’t accurate, we may react to it as if it were.

Start with Yourself: The best way to teach mindfulness is to be mindful.

1. Schedule five minutes of mindfulness into your day, ideally first thing upon waking:

• Find a quiet space to sit comfortably with an erect spine and relaxed body.

• Focus on your breathing, putting your awareness in your chest and lungs.

• Scan your body from head to toe, relaxing each part as you become aware of it.

• When your thoughts bring you away, simply bring your awareness back to your breath; remember that the aim is not to stop or suppress thoughts, but rather to practice bringing awareness back once it has gone away.

2. Set tasks for yourself during the day. For example:

• Take three deep breaths at the beginning of each class, before a meal, or to calm yourself when you notice that you are tense, stressed, frustrated or angry.

• Feel the sensation of your feet on the ground as you walk to lunch.

• Make eye contact and be still while listening fully to another person.

3. Maintain a calm, steady presence.

• Use transition time between classes as a reminder to do one or more of the following:

  • Take three deep breaths, observing how each one feels in your body.

  • Sense the physical state of your body, scanning it for tension.

  • Try to notice your emotional state (ask: “how do I feel right now?”).

  • When a classroom is in chaos:

• Be aware of your breathing. If you notice that it is elevated or uneven, observe several breaths or wait for it to slow down before addressing the class.

• Speak firmly if necessary, but without anger.

As mentioned in this blog, calming corners can help reduce students’ stress and provide calming visual, auditory, and tactile experiences for students to de-stress. A calming corner is a place that can help your students prepare to learn and focus throughout the day. The calming corner can be a physical corner in your classroom or a virtual space.

Below are more resources:

• Virtual Calming Space

• Virtual Calming Room

• Wakelet Calming Room

• And attached to this post is the Powerpoint Virtual Calm Space from Megan Venezia @venezia_megan!

• ELA: A research paper about a popular figure’s relationship with mindfulness (for example, LeBron James, Oprah Winfrey, etc.)

• Science: A lab about how stress affects the human body and how mindfulness may mitigate the effect

• Health: A discussion about coping with stress and how mindfulness may impact those efforts

• Music: Activities with mindful listening

• Art: A mindful creation activity where students draw or paint while listening to a music recording

• Physical Education: Mindful movements activity such as yoga or mindful walking