ATPE NEWS
11
There are many ways to practice being present in the classroom.
Here are a few quick and easy mindfulness activities:
MINDFUL STRETCHING
"Dolphin pose"—Sit or stand. Stretch your arms behind your back.
Grasp your hands, gently lift your arms, and look up. Take five deep
breaths. Get creative and come up with your own "poses."
MINDFUL BREATHING
"Finger tracing"—Hold one hand with outstretched fingers. Touch
the bottom of your outstretched thumb with a finger from your
other hand. Breathe in and slowly move your finger up your thumb.
Breathe out and slowly move your finger down your thumb.
Continue as you trace your outstretched hand from your thumb to
your pinky. Repeat with other hand.
MINDFUL LISTENING
"Listen to the bell"—Play the sound of a bell or chime and have your
students focus on the sound while taking slow, steady, controlled
breaths. The volume will decrease, and when your students can no
longer hear the sound, have them raise their hand. You can also do
this with eyes closed and open them when the sound fades away.
MINDFUL SEEING
"Find something new"—Set a timer for one minute or play a chime.
While taking slow, steady, controlled breaths, students notice their
surroundings by silently looking around the room to find some-
thing they haven't noticed before. This can be done in a variety of
locations on campus.
MINDFUL EATING
"Eat with your senses"—Using a snack, guide your students to pay
close attention to their food through the five senses. Encourage
them to notice texture, color, shape, ingredients, flavor, and so
forth. For the first bite, intentionally go through each sense: sight,
touch, smell, taste, and listening (while chewing).
What:
Got a minute? Mindfulness can
be practiced during different
parts of your day. Here are a
few suggested times to practice
mindfulness with your students:
START OF THE DAY/CLASS
END OF THE DAY/CLASS
TRANSITIONS
AFTER LUNCH
BRAIN BREAK (when class
energy level needs a change)
When:
James Butler leads a mindfulness activity
with Austin students.
Photos
courtesy
of
James
Butler
and
Emily
Hoaldridge-Dopkins