Mindful Education for Teachers Amy Secrist Mindfulness Educator amy@mindbodyalign.com
Mindfulness IS paying attention on purpose Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Mindfulness IS a way of living Mindfulness is more than just a practice. It brings awareness and caring into everything we do—and it cuts down needless stress.
Mindfulness IS evidence based We don’t have to take mindfulness on faith. Both science and experience demonstrate its positive benefits for our health, happiness, work, and relationships.
Mindfulness is not a silver bullet As we all know, there is no silver bullet. But, these practices can teach kids the essential skills they need to cope in today’s society.
Mindfulness is not a disciplinary tactic While mindfulness can help student behavior and school and classroom climate, it will backfire if used punitively or with the aim of controlling student compliance.
What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is simply noticing what is happening right now. Mindfulness is taking notice of how your body feels and what you see, hear, smell, and taste. Mindfulness is also noticing what your mind is doing, and paying attention to your thoughts and emotions.
Paying attention External World (Five Senses) Inner world (Internal Experience) 1. Seeing 1. Thoughts 2. Hearing 3. Touching 4. Tasting 2. Emotions 5. Smelling 8
MINDFULNESS HELPS TO CREATE SPACE AND REPLACE IMPULSIVE REACTIONS WITH THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES WITHOUT MINDFULNESS STIMULUS REACTION WITH MINDFULNESS STIMULUS MINDFULNESS RESPONSE
The Power of the Pause Mindfulness gives us that MINDFUL PAUSE •Mindfulness offers a present moment awareness and nervous system regulation to discern whether or not we want to say or do that •It gives us the opportunity to intentionally respond instead of reacting •This moment becomes very empowering for youth and adults •The ability to recognize the moment of impulse, not repression of the impulse
Why Mindfulness? We spend a lot of time developing our intelligence in school, and strengthening our bodies through sports or exercise. But we give our mind very little attention. When we develop and strengthen our mind we are increasing our ability to focus, recognize and manage our emotions, make better decisions, and empathize in our relationships.
Making & To Make: Enjoying Your Tie one bead to the end of the ribbon ● Add beads in any pattern you like ● Breath Beads Tie your last bead to the other end of ● the ribbon To Enjoy: Start with all beads at one end of the ribbon ● As you inhale, move the first bead slowly to ● the other end As you exhale, slowly move the next bead ● along Continue this way until you feel calm & steady ●
Research finds benefits for educators WHO RECEIVE mindfulness training Demonstrated reduced stress and burnout ● Reported greater SUCCESS in doing their jobs ● Had more emotionally supportive and better organized classrooms ●
Research finds benefits for STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE mindfulness training Improved attention and executive function ● Greater social and emotional skills, including emotion regulation, behavior in school, ● and empathy Enhanced well-being, including lower test anxiety, stress, post-traumatic symptoms ● and depression
Sympathetic Nervous System Stress Response : Revs you up, preparing you to fight, take flight or freeze Heart beats fast ● Breath is fast and shallow ● Pupils of eyes expand (can make you sensitive ● to light) Gut becomes inactive (difficult to digest) ● Blood rushes to your skeletal muscles and ● away from your brain, making it hard to think clearly Hormones rush through your body, making ● you feel anxious Expends your energy ●
Parasympathetic Nervous System Relaxation Response : Calms you down, preparing you to rest, think and restore Heart beats slow, rhythmic pattern ● Breath is full and slow ● Pupils of eyes shrink ● Gut is active (helps you digest and absorb ● the nutrients from your food) Increased blood flow to gut, lungs and brain ● Hormones rush in lifting your mood and ● helping you to relax Conserves your energy ●
Pre Frontal Cortex - “Decision-Maker,” Executive Function Amygdala - Primal, reactionary, fight/flight, freeze
Neuroplasticity : The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment. ~ William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR, medicinenet.com
Automatic Reaction Stressful Situation Amygdala (Fight/Flight/FREEZE)
Mindfulness Prefrontal Thoughtful Stressful Pause… Breathe… Cortex Response Situation
Deactivating the Nervous System One time incident Ongoing C Acute o m p l e x Stuck in “fight or flight” mode Stuck in “freeze” mode Over-aroused Under-aroused ● ● Over-active Under-active ● ● Easily triggered Disassociated ● ●
STUCK in Fight/Flight (Sympathetic) Relaxed, Open Mindfulness (Ventral Vagal) STUCK in Freeze (Dorsal Vagal)
Making & Enjoying Your Mind Jar To Make: To enjoy: Fill the jar ¾ full w/ water Shake the jar & set ● ● Add the glitter upright ● Fill the rest of the jar with dish soap Breathe slowly while ● ● Lock your lid in place with glue or watching the glitter settle ● cement Repeat if desired ●
History of Mindfulness Mindfulness can be traced back thousands of years ● Used in secular applications beginning over 40 years ago through the work of Jon ● Kabat-Zinn Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBI’s)are used in a variety of disciplines ● Used in medicine, psychology, and corporate settings to address illness, pain, and stress, ● and increase well-being
History of Mindfulness 1st Frontier - 1970’s Medical Field ● 2nd Frontier - 1990’s Mental health Field ● 3rd Frontier - 2000’s Education ●
50 years of research showing Decreased depression, anxiety, stress ● Improved sleep (reduced insomnia) ● Increased physical and mental ease & well-being, increased empathy for others ● Ongoing research continues to show promising results ●
Mindfulness can help with challenges in education Educator Burnout ● 50% of educators leave the profession within 3 ○ years Learning Readiness ● Toxic stress directly impacts student ● Aptitude and regulation ○ Reduced attention spans ○ Cultural forces have eroded attentiveness ●
MINDFULNESS STARTS WITH YOU LEARN MINDFULNESS FOR YOURSELF ● LEARN MINDFULNESS FOR YOUR STUDENTS ●
2019 - 2024 Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education Foundational knowledge and ● skills Well-rounded content ● Leadership and reasoning skills ● Social-emotional learning ●
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) PBIS provides a general framework to schools that include strategies for preventing problem behavior
Secularity Guidelines 1. Primary instructional language 2. Human values- kindness, cooperation, empathy, concentration 3. Teach practices in an experiential manner 4. Do not make claims about metaphysics 5. Do not include symbols, artifacts, figures or text linked to religion
Common Concerns About Secularity Concerned Parents, Educators, or Others Two Common Types of Objections Include: Concerns about Religious instruction ● Mindfulness is not inherently religious ○ Concerns about the right to practice their own religion ● Mindfulness does not interfere with personal religious beliefs and practices ○
3 Key Points To Share 1. Your Intention Behind Teaching Mindfulness: To Benefit Your Students 2. Students’ Positive Experience 3. Scientific Research Documenting the Value of Mindfulness
Getting T een Buy-In
Model Mindfulness
What’s in it for them
#3 Teach Teens about their brain
Teach teens about their mind
#5 - There’s an app for that!
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Bite sized mindfulness activities 1. Children’s Literature 2. Crafts & Coloring 3. Breathing Buddies 4. Breathing visuals 5. Positive affirmations
Until We Meet Again Notice a few breaths whenever you remember. See if you can remember even one time.
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