Other tips for Mindfulness

for learners in the classroom

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1. Mindful breathing

This activity is great for bringing the mind back to the importance of our breath. As it turns out when we’re stressed we take shallow breaths. On the other hand, deeper “belly breaths” focus our attention and calm us. Sitting or standing, ask your students to breathe deeply and slowly for around five minutes. Ask them to count to three on the inhale and three again on the exhale. You may like to suggest they put their hands on their stomachs to feel the air as it moves in and out.

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2. Color breathing

Ask your students to think of a relaxing color and another color that represents anger, frustration, or sadness. Now, have your students close their eyes and imagine they are breathing in the relaxing color and letting it fill their entire bodies. On the exhale, ask them to picture the “negative” color leaving their body and dissipating throughout the room.

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3. The five senses

This next activity is a great little exercise to do when experiencing a moment of stress, or as a way to reconnect. Relax and ask yourself:

• What are five things I can see?

• Four things I can touch?

• Three things I can hear?

• Two things I can smell?

• One thing I can taste?

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4. Body scan

You know the feeling when you suddenly realize your neck, shoulders, or back is full of tension, right? Enter the body scan. While sitting or lying down, ask students to stop and check-in with how they are physically feeling, without judging themselves or asking “why”.

Check-in questions include:

• “How is my breath? Shallow or deep?”

• “Where do I feel sore or tense?”

• “How does my (back/shoulders/face muscles/feet/neck) feel?”

As they go through these cues, they respond by relaxing that part of their body.

 

 

5. Breaktime bell

After being exposed to the practice of mindfulness for some time, older students may enjoy the chance to increase autonomy over the class’s mindfulness practice. In this activity, assign a bell to a student at the start of class. During the lesson, they are able to ring the bell whenever they everyone needs a break (deciding on a limit of times they can ring the bell works to ensure you still achieve your lesson’s goals!).

When the bell is rung, the class carries out a short mindful activity (breathing, stretching, check-in with their thoughts, etc). Following this, the lesson resumes.

Note: If you don’t think giving the bell to students would work for your class you can always ring it yourself.

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6. Daily gratitude

Humans are great at remembering the negative. Not so much, however, when it comes to recalling the positive. Being grateful helps us keep this balance in check. There’s no “right” way to practice gratitude, however, you may like to set aside the last five minutes of class for students to write down what they are thankful for, briefly share them with a partner, or silently think them to themselves.

While it does take practice, setting aside time to cultivate mindfulness will reap benefits for your students and for yourself as a teacher. As with any new skill (though perhaps particularly in this case!), slow and steady is the best way forward.

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SOURCE: https://teacherblog.ef.com/daily-mindfulness-for-students-6-activities/

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My experience after applying mindfulness at work:

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Since I got back to work in November, my students are overwhelmed with presentations, exams of the four important subjects and what I do now, at the beginning of the lesson, is to play relaxing music, ask them to raise their hands, inhale and exhale, and to tap their faces gently while saying "I can do it, I am important, I am beautiful, I am wonderful, I can do it, I can do it". After that, we start with the class, nobody feels with headaches or tired. 

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