Mindfulness- An internal awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings.
- An external awareness of the surrounding environment.
- An awareness of our world-view and how it developed from our experiences over time.
- Moment-to-moment awareness without judgment.
- An awareness of how our values, beliefs, perceptions and thoughts influence our interaction with others.
- An awareness of our strengths and limitations during stressful situations.
Paying attention in a particular way
- On purpose
- In the present moment
- Without judgment
Two Primary Attributes
- Being
- Doing
Jon Kabat-Zinn -
Founder: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) University of Massachusetts Medical Center
More Videos and Activities on Mindfulness:
Short video on Mindfulness
How to teach Mindful breathing to young students...see this 15 sec video:
How to teach Mindful breathing to young students...see this 15 sec video:
Mindfulness Exercises for Children
Ocean Breathing:
Have the children sit or lie down in a
comfortable position. Ask everyone to slowly
breathe in through their nose, and
then out through their pursed lips (as if they are
blowing through a straw). Point out
that the slow and steady breathing sounds like
ocean waves, gently crashing on shore.
Let the children continue breathing and making
the
ocean sound for one to two minutes.
The Power of Listening:
Ring a bell, a wind chime, or anything
else that creates a long trailing sound. Ask each
child to listen, and silently raise
their hand when they can no longer hear the sound.
After the ringing ends, ask the
children to continue listening to any other sounds they
can hear for the next minute. When the
minute ends, go around the room asking
everyone
to tell you what sounds they heard.
The Body Squeezing Exercise:
Have the children sit or lie down in a
comfortable position, and ask them to squeeze and
relax each of the muscles in their
body one-by-one. They should hold each squeeze for
about five seconds. After releasing
the squeeze, ask the kids to pay attention to how it
feels when they relax. Children
understand this exercise better if you help them visualize
how they can squeeze a particular
muscle using imagery, such as the following:
1. Curl your toes tight like you are
picking up a pencil with your feet.
2. Tense your legs by pretending like
you are standing on your tippy-toes, trying to
look over a fence.
3. Suck in your stomach as if you are
trying to slide through a narrow opening.
4. Make fists with your hands and
pretend like you are trying to squeeze all of the
juice out of an orange.
5. Pretend like a bug landed on your
nose, and you’re trying to get it off without
using your hands. Try to scrunch your
face and move your jaw to make it fly
away!
Article on becoming a more mindful school leader
Closing Comments:
As we approach the holiday season and two weeks of vacation, be present in every moment. Breathe. Taste. Feel. Enjoy the moment by the fire, the joyful look on a young child's face as they open a present, a good book, the peaceful sound of quiet.
“In the end,
only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how
gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” Buddha
Thank you for sharing Jen and perfect timing for these reminders as we enter the holiday season!
ReplyDeleteJon
I absolutely love this quote "“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” Buddha Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete