Mindfulness, the technique of mastering "living in the moment", helps us to combat distractions in a busy world. On a personal level, practising mindfulness can be really beneficial for teachers, but studies are increasingy showing that it can be helpful for students too.
But how can you use it in the classroom? We ran a live chat on the topic recently. Plenty of teachers shared their advice, tips and tricks – here's a round up of the ideas that were shared:
Get students to think about being mindful with some simple activities
Exploring body sensations is a nice way to introduce mindfulness to pupils. For example, you could ask students to walk slowly, or get them to eat something enjoyable and then something unpleasant (I use raw onion or mild chilli), so they can focus on savouring the now and exploring discomfort. Also, playing with a shock ball is a good approach to talking about turning towards life's fears.
Don't neglect to teach the theories behind mindfulness
I've found that as much as teenagers enjoy learning the technique, they also like to understand the principles that come with the practice. For example, what are the relationships between the body, mind, emotion and action?
Address concerns that the practice will conflict with religious beliefs
There is a wide mix of faiths in my school, with some very devout Christian and Muslim pupils, and I have to say, this has not been a problem when teaching mindfulness. I think the fact that we present the method as part of a healthy lifestyle, as opposed to a religious practice, has helped with this.
Students are taught the technique as part of personal, social and health education. This subject is timetabled for all students and in these classes we teach all sorts of life skills, from voting to relationships. It is presented as one possible way to move towards better mental health and we are very careful to keep the practice secular. For example, we talk about the mind and consciousness, but never the spirit or soul. This distinction has meant that even those with a fixed faith do not feel their beliefs are threatened or challenged. We also offer courses for parents and send letters home before students start the course.
Becky Turnbull teaches the Mindfulness In Schools project to students at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.
Build the practice into the curriculum
If you're struggling to find time in the school day to teach mindfulness, there are lots of opportunities within the curriculum that are adaptable to these activities. On a school trip today about coasts, for example, the children not only learned about the history of Brighton, coastal erosion and tides, but they also made their own Andy Goldsworthy nature sculptures. We then explained that the artworks were in the present moment, but when the tide comes in they will disappear, or people will add to them and they will change.
Quiet reading in the mornings is seen by many of our children as a mindful activity – as they are focusing solely on that one thing – and many schools encourage mindful walking around school.
Books can be a great way to talk about mindfulness
There are some really nice ways to explore mindfulness with books. One of the texts we've used is The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. We reflected on the child's friendship with the snowman and how wonderful it was to see, but also how sad we felt that it couldn't last forever (spoiler alert – the snowman melts!). We then talked about where we see that happen in our own lives.
We also read a picture book about a boy who was afraid of the monster who lived in his cupboard, using this as an analogy to think about fear. In the book the child is afraid because he doesn't know the monster so I got the class to draw their own "perfect" monsters, thinking about what scared them and making an effort to get to know these fears so they can understand them better like the boy.
Encourage random acts of kindness
On a school trip to Brighton pier, I gave my students some small change to go on the penny machines. Towards the end of our visit they had some pennies left over. We decided that they could pass these pennies along to other people in the arcade, and therefore pass along the good fun we had. The children left the arcade buzzing and smiling, happy that they had done something good. We also talked about the fact that we can't always expect something in return, but that it's still worth the effort.
Ross Young, teaches at The Dharma Primary School in Brighton, which is the only primary school in Europe that has an ethos based on mindfulness and Buddhist ethics.
Get parents involved
The Wake Up Schools programme offers school interventions which also include practices for parents; we will be offering this at the Dharma School in Brighton in September. These workshops have been run in India several times with great success. The parents loved being at the school and it helped them realise how their own wellbeing affects that of their children. You can see a film about one of these weeks on the Wake up Schools website.
In Plum Village we have also been offering a summer retreat programme for the last 30 years, with parallel activities for children and parents, and many families have reported success in bringing the practice home.
Brother Ben runs mindfulness programs for young people and helps steer the Wake Up Schools initiative.
It needs to begin with the teacher
Before we can expect children to be mindful, it is important that we ourselves are mindful. When I spoke about the benefits of mindfulness to the staff in my school, it was the first time most of them had heard of the technique and many said they'd like to learn more.
I'm nearing the end of delivering an eight week course to staff, which I've been running one evening a week after school. Take up has been high, and with it being such a busy time of year in school, it shows the need for mindfulness to help teachers deal with stress at work.
Emma Naisbett, teaches mindfulness to students at a state school in Liverpool.
Help students keep a regular check on how they're feeling with a mood diary
At Mindfull we ask our 11 to 17-year-olds to fill in an online mood diary to encourage a higher degree of mindfulness and help them understand different moods. It's been an effective way of getting them to pinpoint and reflect on what it is that triggers different feelings, and therefore better recognise external stressors and find ways to cope with them.
Nicola Kershaw, a panel member for the charity Mindfull.
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