Mindfulness for Educators & Families Alan Forrest, Ed.D. Radford University, Radford, VA September 2016

Would you be interested? In a program that could: Improve attention and concentration Expand self-awareness Enhance positive emotions Increase interpersonal skills and relationships Enrich academic performance Stimulate creativity Reduce stress Change and strengthen the structure of the brain

Can you, as teachers, foster an empathetic classroom learning environment without first being mindful? They go hand-in-hand, and have a myriad of benefits So, when you think of “mindfulness”, what springs to… mind?

Can you, as parents, foster an empathetic balanced home environment without first being mindful? They go hand-in-hand, and have a myriad of benefits So, when you think of “mindfulness”, what springs to… mind?

Personal practice in meditation and mindfulness (contemplative practices) indirectly affects experience in both the classroom… and at home.

What we do with our mind matters. l Stress physiology, relevant for all adult humans and for all who work with kids. The earlier we learn about the mind-body connection, the better. Roughly half a million U.S. teachers leave the profession each year – a turnover rate of over 20 percent.

Arriving: Being here now

What is mindfulness? Paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn ~

What is mindfulness? *WITH KINDNESS AND CURIOSITY Non-judgmentally A particular way of paying attention: *WITH KINDNESS AND CURIOSITY On purpose In the present moment Non-judgmentally

HOW DO WE PRACTICE? MANY WAYS, INCLUDING MINDFUL Eating Walking Moving Listening Breathing Noticing the relationship between Thoughts Physical Sensations Emotions

Without mindfulness Stimulus Reaction Automatic, habitual patterns often leads unconsciously to suffering

With mindfulness THERE IS SPACE FOR CONSCIOUS CHOOSING STIMULUS MINDFULNESS RESPONSE THERE IS SPACE FOR CONSCIOUS CHOOSING MORE SKILLFUL RESPONSES LESS SUFFERING

Mindfulness Why is it important? Helps focus on one thing at a time in the present moment, thereby helping to control and soothe overwhelming emotions Helps one to learn to identify and separate judgmental thoughts from experiences Helps access your internal wisdom of knowing

Benefits of mindfulness Better focus and concentration Increased calm Decreased stress & anxiety Enhanced health Improved impulse control Skillful ways to respond to difficult emotions Increased self-awareness Increased empathy and understanding of others

Relevance 20%: of students have considered suicide have carried a weapon reported being bullied in school 45%: of students expressed they were not engage did not feel recognize could not do their best work at school 5-8X Increase in anxiety and/or depression in high school and college students over past 50 years 2013 CDC Youth risk behavior survey of 9-12 grade students 2013 Gallup student survey of 5-12 grade students Twenge et al, 2010 WHY is this the trend?? Engagement: The involvement in and enthusiasm for school, reflects how well students are known and how often they get to do what they do best. The large changes in MMPI scores demonstrate that there are also strong cultural influences on psychiatric symptoms — that is, an environmental influence outside of the individual family. Over time, American culture has increasingly shifted toward an environment in which more and more young people experience poor mental health and psychopathol- ogy, possibly due to an increased focus on money, appearance, and status rather than on community and close relationship

“Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.”  “Relational trust is built on movements of the human heart such as empathy, commitment, compassion, patience, and the capacity to forgive.” ~Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach~  

“Be the pond” mindfully observe their thoughts and emotions without engaging or judging them! When they get angry or sad, which they will because they’re human, they can notice the emotion, and realize that it will eventually swim away and a different one will soon swim along. They can feel the emotion without letting it take them over. The teacher who developed this story described it to her students this way: sometimes “we forget that we’re The Pond, and think that we are the ‘Angry Fish.’” It’s a way to teach children that they are not their emotions. They are not their anger. This non-identification with emotions is one of the most powerful ways mindfulness can change our lives.

Mindfulness in schools, Mindfulness at home: The three C’s Curiosity Compassion Connection

Music is the space between the notes. ~Debussy~ Pause a moment for Mindfulness: Are you aware of yourself, and your 5 senses? Is there enough “empty space” for free flowing thoughts and observations? Music is the space between the notes. ~Debussy~

Mindfulness-based practices within the curriculum Mindfulness education programs utilize activities that foster the aforementioned components of mindfulness in a developmentally appropriate manner for school-aged children.

Mindfulness education consists of 5 primary techniques 1) Quieting the Mind ~ Listening Game/Soft Belly Breathing 2) Focused Attention ~ Mindful of sensation, thoughts and feelings 3) Focused Intention ~ Affirmations and Visualization 4) Handling Negative emotions and Negative thinking 5) Acknowledgment of self and others.

MindUp MindUP is a comprehensive, classroom-tested, evidence-based curriculum framed around 15 easily implemented lessons that foster social and emotional awareness, enhance psychological well-being, and promote academic success. The MindUP classroom is an optimistic classroom that promotes and develops mindful attention to oneself and others, tolerance of differences, and the capacity of each member of the community to grow as a human being and a learner

MindUp Over the course of the MindUP experience, students learn about the brain and how it functions, in the process gaining insight into their own minds and behaviors as well as those of the people around them. Joyful engagement is not incidental; it’s essential. MindUP shows you how to put joy into your teaching.

Mindfulness quotes: 2nd to 5th graders It helps because school is sometimes hard and mindfulness helps me cool down. I think if we do this everyday we won’t fight anymore. I felt great and I felt calm and it made me feel important. It makes me feel good. I wish it was every day. It makes me happy and great. It’s calming and peaceful. It makes me grateful and light.

More 2nd -5th grader quotes When I am down, mindfulness is what I focus on. I love relaxing and focusing on my breathing. You can be mindful happy or sad, anytime you want. I like mindfulness because it helps me feel better and teaches me to concentrate. I like it because it’s fun and helps me be a better person in my life. If people had mindfulness, the world might be safe.

What you say to yourself… matters The words you speak become the house you live in. ~Hafiz~

And now…it’s in your hands…