Oneness and Compassionate Action

Last week we missed out on a blog. I apologize. The ice days made the rest of the week very busy. 

This week I wanted to share a new perspective on mindfulness and why it is important to practice daily.

When we think about mindfulness and the brain we typically focus on The Amygdala (emotion center), The Hippocampus (our memory), and the Prefrontal Cortex (wise choices). While these are important parts of the brain when it comes to mindfulness it is good to take some time to explore how mindfulness can help our brains in other parts.

Our brains are amazing and we actually know very little about how the function. We learn more and more all of the time, but we still have so much more to learn.

In recent studies it has been found that the Parietal Lobe can also be connected to our mindfulness practices.

Typically the Parietal Lobe is associated with our senses; touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing. Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, whos main focus is how the brain functions when practicing religion reports that the Parietal Lobe can also be seen in use during a mindfulness practice.

Dr. Newberg reports that a mindful meditation practice creates what he calls a "oneness." For some this oneness is with a spiritual being, nature, and for some it is with each other.

When we practice mindfulness together with our students we create a sense of oneness with them, the class, and the school.

Dr. Newberg's findings continue on to tell us that when we have the sense of oneness our sense of belonging intensifies. 

Wouldn't it be amazing to create a sense of oneness and belonging in your classroom? Perhaps that student who acts out doesn't feel connected to you or the class. A mindfulness practice you participate in too can help create a belonging that student needs to feel. The more a student feels they belong, are connected, and are one with the class, the less they are like to disturb the environment.  

Mindfulness is also often a time of peace and quiet. Studies show that being silent in groups can lead to what is called, compassionate action toward others. Again, the group feeling creates the connection and then drives the compassionate action. How amazing would it be to see that "problem" student feel connected to the class to the point of doing positive actions for and toward others? 

The more we practice mindfulness the more we grow our awareness of our own reality. This then opens us up to recognizing the reality of others.

Take time during our March Mindful Madness to establish and practice a daily routine of mindfulness. Remember, practicing with your students will connect you better to them and open up the possibility of compassionate action. 

Random Act of Kindness Week

 

I would like to start of this year's Random Act of Kindness week with a Treat Yo Self day (days). Please take a moment to stop by my office this week and get a treat. I will have a variety. Come see what treat will treat you right!

Don't  forget, Mindfulness is a great way to Treat Yo Self. It can also be a Random Act of Kindness. Teach someone a new mindfulness this week as an act of kindness.

Mindful.org shares that mindfulness and kindness are similar. They both are good for our physical and emotional well-being. As educators and supports of young students we should remember that our students their need physical and emotional well-being addressed to ensure they are ready to learn. A student in pain, hungry, hurting, depressed, or distracted will not be able to focused enough to learn what you are teaching.

We all need self-care. Self-care is not selfish and should not be something that we schedule in once every few months. It should be a daily check-in on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Allow yourself the time and space to address your own well-being. This will better equip you to assist your students in addressing their own well-being.

Mindfulness is a self-care gift we can utilize daily. 

Mindful.org goes on to report that kindness can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Studies have shown that when we do something kind for others we help elevate their mood. When we observe their mood boost our bodies react with an even greater mood boost. 

A great mindfulness to practice this week for yourself, for your students, and with your students is Metta Lovingkindness. 

Much like the Hot Chocolate Breathing Mindfulness, Metta Lovingkindness is a favorite of mine to practice. I find that this mindful meditation gives me a sense of peace and release when I practice.

For those new to this mindfulness let's take a minute to talk it through.

Metta Lovingkindness Mindful Meditation

You being with Well Wishes for Yourself.

"Today I wish myself well wish. I send myself a well wish to be bold, strong, and compassionate toward myself and others."

Then you send a Well Wish to someone you Care About

"Today I send well wishes to my children. May their day be filled with knowledge, friendship, and a little fun." 

Last you send a Well Wish to someone you Struggle With/ Don't Get Along/Don't Like

This one is hard. You will not want to do it. You'll go back to yourself and those you care about and skip this one. You will say that you will try it next time. But you will not. 

DO IT ANYWAY!

The peace that comes from this part is restorative, releasing, refreshing, and reaffirming that you can rise above.

"Today I send well wishes to the mother of my step-children. (Let me take a minute and let you know this is real for me. It is a challenge due to past history, but I do this for Me. And. It. Feels. Good!) I wish her a productive day filled with kindness from those around her. May she be successful and strong as a mother."

This mindfulness is a wonderful random act of kindness for yourself.

Take a moment this week to stand in your empty classroom and send a well wish to each of your students. Experience the benefit of how it will change your mood and attitude toward them.

Our brains are wired to see the negative and think the negative. This is a throw back from the days in which our brains needed to see out the potential danger and harm to survive. We need to train our brain to see the good, be the good, and do the good.

Find the Space Between Chaos and Calm

Do you have a mindful classroom? 

Have you paused lately to take a look around and assess the classroom atmosphere?  If your class is not peaceful and productive you might be missing the calm you need to elevate learning.

Hey Middle School Teachers Are You Reading??? Are your students running on emotions instead of logic? Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to know you've tamed a wild animal?  Middle school human children may not be wild animals but there are times they act more from Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Faint than they do from Calm Centered Logic. 

Good News! You can have that dopamine rush because you too are the tamer of something wild and seemingly untamable. It only takes mindfulness!

In 2018 Boston Charter Research Collaborative partnered with the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, MIT, and the program Transforming Education, to explore mindfulness in middle school.

The research was conducted with 6th graders over an 8 week period of time. During the eight weeks the sixth graders practiced mindfulness 4 times a week. At the end of the time the students self-reported findings along with engaging in brain scans.

The students who engaged in a brain scan showed Amygdala reduced responses such as; reduced responses to fearful faces, less sensitive to negative stimuli, less prone to get stressed, and less prone to lose of focus.

Most middle school students run solely by their Amygdala. Mindfulness helps control and reduce that. BAM! You've tamed the untamable!!

Utilizing mindfulness in the classroom helps the students gain control over their emotions and attention. Mindfulness takes your class from chaos to calm. 

At the end of 2021 William Meyer, a graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Education and a teacher in New York City wrote an article sharing 7 unexpected ways mindfulness changed his classroom.

1. Expanded how he saw teaching and learning. Mindfulness helped him see students in a different way and notice the depth and compacity of some of his most difficult students.

2. Deepened student learning. As noted in the study with 6th graders, mindfulness helps to lessen stress and reduce lose of focus. 

3. Helped him see himself and his class in a new light. He noted he took more time to check in on his own feelings and the feelings of his students. When you start to check in on mood you see the student with more depth and understanding.

4. He noticed a spread through the whole community. This is something that I have seen too. Last week at the end of mindfulness with a second grade class one student shared that he planned to go home and teach his mom Pink Bubble Mindfulness. 

5. Democratized the classroom and nurtured a greater sense of community. Your students notice when you practice mindfulness with them. Meyer noted that he invited administration to join too. Invite them and let the class see the community of mindfulness across the school. 

6. Checked his ego. The class is your domain. You have rules. You have structure. You have expectations. You also have an ego and it can get out of control and does need to be checked. Use mindfulness to check insecurities to check the ego.

7. Slowed his classroom down. Mindfulness helped him find the space between Action and Reaction.

How does you class look today? When was the last time you checked in? Take a moment today to notice the breathing in the room. Is it fast? If yes, take a break and allow it to slow. Have you checked in on your ego? Do you speak frim without anger? 

A great way to get started is to utilize mindfulness during transitions. Inner Explorer has mindfulness for transitions. It also has sound practices. Both are shorter than the longer more in-depth practices. They are useful to teach self calming and reflecting strategies. Share out that you will put on a sound or transition practice. Note that the first minute is to close out current material and transition to new material. After the first minute the students are asked to sit, breathe, and reflect, and ready themselves to move on. 

Remember a mindful posture helps students be ready to be present. For younger students we practice Zip Up Breath. You pretend there is a zipper on your belly button and zip up as you breathe in. While you do so you lengthen your back and relax your shoulders. You can also utilize Royal Sitting Breathing. Tell students to sit as a Royal; straight back, relaxed shoulders, head up, and poised. 

As you practice mindfulness leaders will emerge. Notice them. Ask them to lead mindfulness. Ask them to notice when the room needs a breathing break. Encourage them to mentor others in mindfulness.

A mindful classroom is a productive classroom.

A mindful classroom is a positive classroom.     

Mindfulness Toolkit Transforming Education

Embrace the suck

 

Embrace the suck. This phrase comes from 2003 and the war in Iraq. It was first used by the military to say, that the current situation sucks, you have to deal with the suck, live through it, and work on moving through it and past it and make the situation better. 

For our purposes this could mean this week's cold snap and all the indoor recesses. Embrace the suck WITH the students. Mindfully get creative and live through the situation to make it better and move forward.

This could also be for all of the upcoming/current testing. Embrace the suck with your students, mindfully. 

What does this look like?

Deep breathing breaks. Mindful movement breaks. Reminding ourselves and our students to take a deep breath.

We all need the litter reminders and breaks. Don't be afraid to say it and utilize it. 

The video clip above is a cute 4.5 year old (cutest in my opinion) reminding her daddy to take deep breaths. Can you tell that we practice mindfulness together?? 

From time to time I like to share out resources to help build your mindfulness library. This week you will find some old and maybe some need resources listed beloe.

Resources to Help with Mindfulness:

Inner Explorer .... which you can now access through your Clever! Inner Explorer

ALO Mindfulness with Yoga ... mindfulness and movement! ALO

Kira Willey ... she has mindfulness, songs, movement, books Kira W

Cosmic Kids ... yoga and mindfulness Cosmic Kids

Mind Yeti ... this cute yeti helps work on mindful breathing Mind Yeti

Mindful.org ... a good read on the basics of mindfulness Mindfulness

Calming Strategies... free printable poster  Mindful Calming

Big Life Journal ... list of resources such as books and apps Big Life Journal

Please share out your favorite resource too. I love building our mindfulness library.

Remember I have mindfulness cards, books, and activities you can check out from my office. You can also have me as a resource in your room. I would love to come help talk to your students about the whys and hows of mindfulness and practice with them and you!

We are embracing the suck of winter weather and testing together. We can come out on the other side stronger and calmer, just remember to breathe. 

Mindfulness can help us all. Here are five researched backed reasons why we, as adults should practice with our students and on our own.

1. Helps improve heart health

2. Decreases cognitive decline from aging

3. Improves immune response

4. Reduces cell aging

5. Reduces psychological pain