Guest Blogger: Stacy Meester

This week is School Psychologist Awareness Week. Stacy Meester,  our very own School Psychologist Intern, has graciously shared some
information about mindfulness and some practical ways to include it in your classroom. Thank you, Stacy!

The Benefits of Using Mindfulness Exercises in the Classroom 

By: Stacy Meester – school psychologist intern

       Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale…… Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, letting your breath flow effortlessly in and out of your body. Let go of your thoughts. Concentrate on the present moment. Let go of things you have to do later today or pending projects that need your attention. Focus only on the rise and fall of your breath……This is an exercise in mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the focusing of one's awareness on the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Mindfulness and yoga practices incorporated into the classroom have the potential to benefit students physically, emotionally and cognitively by providing students a way to manage stress, increase self-regulation skills, and improve their personal learning environment.

Mindfulness practices also offer benefits for teachers. Teacher interactions with students are often heavily influenced by the behaviors demonstrated in a classroom. Teachers are not able to stay focused on teaching but instead are concentrating on remediating disruptive behavior. Building student social-emotional skills through a comprehensive mindfulness program has been correlated with an overall rise in student grades, a decrease in student problem behavior, and an increase in student academic engagement in the classroom. Research suggests that for students to benefit the most from these programs, consistency is the key to success with a recommended daily practice consisting of at least 10 total minutes of exercises led by the classroom teacher, over a minimum of 8-10 classes/weeks (Napoli et al., 2005; Minnesota School Psychology Association, 2017).

Here are a few simple and quick mindfulness exercises you can try today!  

   54321 “GAME” FOR GROUNDING:

• Name 5 things you can see in the room with you.

• Name 4 things you can feel (“chair on my back” or “feet on floor”)

• Name 3 things you can hear right now (“fingers tapping on keyboard”)

• Name 2 things you can smell right now (or, 2 things you like the smell of)

• Name 1 good thing about yourself

MINDFUL BREATHING:

1. Find a relaxed, comfortable position. You could be seated on a chair or on the floor on a cushion. Keep your back upright, but not too tight. Hands resting wherever they’re comfortable. Tongue on the roof of your mouth or wherever it’s comfortable.
2. Notice and relax your body. Try to notice the shape of your body, its weight. Let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here—the sensations it experiences, the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Relax any areas of tightness or tension. Just breathe.
3. Tune into your breath. Feel the natural flow of breath—in, out. You don’t need to do anything to your breath. Not long, not short, just natural. Notice where you feel your breath in your body. It might be in your abdomen. It may be in your chest or throat or in your nostrils. See if you can feel the sensations of breath, one breath at a time. When one breath ends, the next breath begins.  
4. Find a relaxed, comfortable position. You could be seated on a chair or on the floor on a cushion. Keep your back upright, but not too tight. Hands resting wherever they’re comfortable. Tongue on the roof of your mouth or wherever it’s comfortable.
5. Notice and relax your body. Try to notice the shape of your body, its weight. Let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here—the sensations it experiences, the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Relax any areas of tightness or tension. Just breathe.
6. Tune into your breath. Feel the natural flow of breath—in, out. You don’t need to do anything to your breath. Not long, not short, just natural. Notice where you feel your breath in your body. It might be in your abdomen. It may be in your chest or throat or in your nostrils. See if you can feel the sensations of breath, one breath at a time. When one breath ends, the next breath begins.  

1.Find a relaxed, comfortable position. You could be seated on a chair or on the floor on a cushion. Keep your back upright, but not too tight. Hands resting wherever they’re comfortable. Tongue on the roof of your mouth or wherever it’s comfortable.

2.Notice and relax your body. Try to notice the shape of your body, its weight. Let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here—the sensations it experiences, the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Relax any areas of tightness or tension. Just breathe.

3.Tune into your breath. Feel the natural flow of breath—in, out. You don’t need to do anything to your breath. Not long, not short, just natural. Notice where you feel your breath in your body. It might be in your abdomen. It may be in your chest or throat or in your nostrils. See if you can feel the sensations of breath, one breath at a time. When one breath ends, the next breath begins. 

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXTION:

In this procedure, whole muscle groups are simultaneously tensed and then relaxed. Repeat each procedure at least once, tensing each muscle group from five to seven seconds and then relaxing from fifteen to thirty seconds. Remember to notice the contrast between the sensations of tension and relaxation.

1. Curl both fists, tightening biceps and forearms. Hold. Relax.

2. Roll your head around on your neck clockwise in a complete circle, then reverse. Hold. Relax.

3. Wrinkle up the muscles of your face like a walnut: forehead wrinkled, eyes squinted, mouth opened, and shoulders hunched. Hold. Relax.

4. Arch your shoulders back as you take a deep breath into your chest. Hold. Relax. Take a deep breath, pushing out your stomach. Hold. Relax.

5. Straighten your lets and point your toes back toward your face, tightening your shins. Hold. Relax.

6. Straighten your legs and curl your toes, simultaneously tightening your calves, thighs, and buttocks. Relax.

For more information:

Calm the website/app is giving free lifetime membership to all educators:  https://www.calm.com/schools​​​

Mindfulness/Yoga curriculums -- https://www.yogacalm.org/     https://mindup.org/