NAIS: Mindfulness in the Classroom Workshop

I just attended an amazing mindfulness workshop at the NAIS convention.

The most simple activity, and one that will greet my students Monday morning is this eight word breathing accompaniment:

In out
Deep slow
Calm ease
Here now

Here are some links to explore that were featured in the presentation:

friendscouncil.org

contemplativemind.org

thehawnfoundation.org

soryuforall.budsa.org/mind-the-music-1/

susankaisergreenland.com

shinzen.org 

www.young-eisendrath.com

basicmindfulness.org

thehawnfoundation.org

These were focused on mindfulness in schools:

mindfulschools.org/schools

learningtobreathe.org/content

mindandlife.org/research-initiatives/mlern1/

They read the poem "So Much Happiness" by  Naomi Shihab Nye through twice and and then asked us to  dwell in our visualization of happiness.
My visualization was an enclosed illuminated orb/pod... which upon reflection looks a lot like Lady GaGa's red carpet egg. Not sure what thy says about my quest for happiness.

They recommended taking a MBSR course which I am going to try to do at UMass Medical Center this spring.

All the anecdotal evidence was that students love doing quick centering breathing exercises. There were tons of stories from kindergarten through high school about how students have been responding to the stress relief, increased ability to focus, and even improvement in executive functioning associated with mindfulness practice.

I am going to have buy one those bells that ring for a long time and really get into it!