Back To School Mindfully: Mindfulness to Teachers, Parents, and Students

A (Free) Mindfulness Offer to Teachers, Parents, and Students

Whether you are a teacher, parent, or student, you know there is a major shift that occurs when summer turns to fall. It can feel thrilling to know that we will all be back in a routine. It can also evoke feelings of anxiety and ‘how will I ever figure this out?’

Let’s be proactive and establish the habits we need to feel at ease, successful, and ready for what the new academic year has in store for us.

When I think of my own childhood; I think of chaos in my mental and physical space. When I visit classrooms I notice some students have desks stuffed with scattered papers, pencils, and pens askew. Those very students become mentally and spatially disorganized and need our support to put one activity away before starting another. They may feel anxiety reaching into a messy desk and not knowing whether they will find the homework they worked hard on.

The same can be true in our homes, too. If your child tends to make a huge mess and then become overwhelmed, this activity will be a game changer. Let’s help adults and our children manage their mental and physical space in a sustainable, calming way.

**That is not to say this activity won’t evoke difficult feelings. For people accustomed to everything blending, the 5 Breath Space Makercan feel scary. That’s ok. Explore this activity as an experiment and notice how it feels after doing it every single day between every subject in school. Support your students and children in doing this, letting them know it’s ok to feel resistant to changing our behaviors. It is normal to want to do things in the same way. Growth comes when we approach things in new ways and test what works best for us.

Back to school is also a time of interpersonal relationships, new and old. For students and teachers alike, we need to be aware how looking at relationships with nuance, from a foundation of how to be a good person, how to steer ourselves with kindness, honesty, modesty, moderation, and more. Social-emotional learning comes alive in the Yamas and Niyamas lesson plan.

Learn to facilitate conversations around healthy relationships with the self, our peers, and our community. Learn the philosophical framework that will make mindful decision-making easier for all of us. If you want the children in your life to have healthy relationships and a positive sense of self, instilling the virtues from the Yamas and Niyamas will become practical, a utility you can lean on every day of your lives.

Download your 5 Breath Space Maker Poster now > 

When the Going Gets Tough, We Get Empowered

When we see our children, as they invariably do, become challenged by academics, relationships, homework, stress, and more, let’s help them stand firmly on their own two feet.

Through positive affirmations called mantras, and powerful poses, students can face back to school feeling empowered in their minds, bodies, and spirits.

This challenging 5-pose yoga sequence and breathing activity comes packed with movement and breath that promise to help you and your young learners. The lesson plan can help you lead a lesson, or just use the illustrated yoga pose deck and allow students to empower themselves.

Teaching Tip: Print several decks to leave in your peace corner and view the poses together from the smart board, so students can learn in a group and then practice on their own as needed. This combination builds #LifeLongHealthyHabits

Get empowered with yoga > 

Transition Into Fall With Your Mind and Body

What if we could offer students positive affirmation to help them notice and cope with the changes that take place as we shift into fall? The Autumn yoga sequence and lesson plans embrace that everything around us is changing and help students notice that they are changing, too. With mantra such as, “I am changing,” students can embrace the transition into their new selves with movement and breath to match.

The yoga lesson plan offers in-depth conversations you can facilitate for children any age (comes with lessons for 2-7, 7-11, and 11-18-year-olds!) to embrace the new, notice emotions as they come up, and empower them to move through it with strength and grace. This well-rounded practice offers poses that help students balance, strengthen, and relax.

Find balance with our Autumn yoga cards >