Yoga, Mindfulness, and Movement in the Multilingual Classroom

Gloria Delany-Barmann

Ainura Zheenalieva

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Western Illinois University

Power of the Pause

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Agenda for Today

• Time In/Introductions
• Mindfulness and Yoga defined
• Reasons for practice
• Practice
• Discussion

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Mindfulness

• “Paying attention here and now with kindness and curiosity” (Mindfulness in Education.org)
• Bringing your attention to some anchor point (breath);
• Paying attention to one’s intention. Notice the mind as it wanders;
• Gently bring the attention back to the anchor, over and over again.

Noticing activity

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Where did we begin our yoga & mindfulness journey . . .

• Gloria
• Ainura

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Mindfulness Skills

• Emotional Regulation
• Attention control (focus)
• Being aware of oneself

PRACTICE FIVE FINGER BREATHING

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Teaching ourselves how to breathe~ belly breaths from the diaphragm (belly buddies)�

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WHY PRACTICE MINDFULNESS � AND WHY TEACH IT TO OUR CHILDREN?

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According to the American School Counselor Association Journal, Jan/Feb 2019, anxiety disorders affect one in eight children and teens, and more than a quarter of teens report experiencing extreme stress during the school year. Research shows that anxiety, if left untreated, can drastically impact a student’s risk for self-harm and ability to succeed in school.

STUDIES SHOW THAT…

• Adults who learn mindfulness report reduced stress and burn out and greater efficacy in doing their jobs.
• Students who learn mindfulness show improved cognitive outcomes such as reduced attentional problems, enhanced focus, improved social skills, along with emotional regulation and increased compassion.
• Simply, mindfulness changes the brain, emphasizes focus on the present, and leads to happier people.

LIZARD/WIZARD BRAIN

Mindfulness plays in regulating emotions, making better decisions, and being ready to learn.

THE GOAL IS TO CALM THE BARKING DOG � SO YOU CAN HEAR THE WISE OWL…

BARKING DOG

WISE OWL

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IMPULSE CONTROL

• Impulse control is noticing the impulses that are coming from our bodies, recognizing them, what’s causing them, and deciding what to do about them.
• The only way to access our impulses is by spending time in our inner world~ taking small moments each day to just rest in ourselves…

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MINDFULNESS PRACTICE ~�

Find a comfortable position with the intention of pausing.

Close or lower your gaze, invite your body to soften. Be present with the rise and fall of your chest. Stay here for a while…

If you would like, place your hand over your heart, breathe slowly and deeply.                                                 

The simple act of placing one’s hand on one’s heart can help both children and adults to feel grounded and comforted in times of struggle and emotional overwhelm.

Send these feelings of care toward yourself and others. This benefits them and especially helps to recharge and balance your own system.

Adapted From the book, The Heartmath Solution for Overcoming Fear and Worry and Creating Serenity.

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EMOTIONAL REGULATION

“Mindfulness doesn’t make us happier exactly, but it helps us know clearly when we are happy and when we are unhappy. “

“It creates the conditions for more joy and happiness to enter our lives. “

“We all know that kindness is good but what’s really interesting is how compassion and generosity impact the structure of our brain. And these qualities actually start to affect our behavior.”

~ Dr. Christopher Willard, Mindful Journal- December 2019

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CULTIVATING MINDFULNESS-Example from Julie Chamberlain, M.Ed., M.S. in Counseling

Professional School Counselor, Mindfulness Educator, and Certified Anxiety Management Specialist

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MONTHLY � CLASSROOM LESSONS

• Monthly Mindfulness Lessons
• Lessons designed with read aloud
• Wizard/Lizard Brain
• Listening
• Mindful Bubbles
• Managing Emotions
• Belly Breathing with buddies
• Classroom Calming Corner
• Class "Feelings" bottle
• Breathing Shapes
• Playdough

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Family Mindfulness Night

MINDFULNESS CLUBS~ K-2 & 3-5

IN THEIR OWN WORDS!

• “Before using mindfulness with my students, I felt there wasn’t a way to reach students and their emotions.  Now with mindfulness, I can be specific on how being mindful can help my students learn.” -Teacher 
• “I close my eyes and take deep breaths and I let the butterflies in my stomach stop flying.” -3rd Grade Student
• "I was processing a 'kind wishes' mindfulness activity that I did with a 2nd grade class and when I asked how the activity made them feel, a student said that his anger felt like fire and mindfulness felt like a bucket of water being poured onto it." -School Counselor

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� ���� �� BRAIN �� RESEARCH �� SUPPORTS �� MINDFULNESS

What is Yoga?

• Indian sage Pantanjali is said to have collated the practice of yoga into the Yoga Sutra about 2000 years ago. It’s a collection of 195 statements that serve as a philosophical guidebook of how yoga is practiced today.
• The word itself comes from Sanskrit
• Meaning union or bridge (mind, body, spirit)
• Asanas (postures) combined with breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana)
• Several branches of yoga (Hatha, Karma,Raja,Bhkati, Tantra, Jnana)

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Integrating Yoga in the Classroom

• For what reasons?
• When?
• How?

Yoga in the classroom (Hyde, 2014)

• Improves concentration and prepares students to learn
• Helps stimulate creativity and positive feelings
• It rejuvenates and calms
• Yoga can be done sitting or standing
• Successful in mitigating symptoms of ADD and ADHD in children and adults (Journal of Attention Disorders)
• Yoga is teacher self-care.
• Yoga and “power” poses (Amy Cuddy Ted Talk)

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La Súper Maestra

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• According to a study by social psychologist Amy Cuddy, just 2 minutes of “power posing” can increase readiness for action; decrease stress AND change how you are evaluated by others.
• Can help decrease stress hormones and increase testosterone.

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Yoga in the ML Classroom

• Total Physical Response (TPR)-Morgan 2011
• The kids’ yoga deck: 50 poses and games
• Yoga Pretzels-Yogi Says (Guber & Talish, 2012)
• Nature Kids-Make list of natural phenomena (storms, trees, clouds, rainbows, waves) Someone leads and calls out as the rest of class creates poses
• Go Noodle https://www.gonoodle.com
• https://www.gonoodle.com/videos/L2naoX/the-mooderators-excited
• Teaching academic language through movement and yoga

Time to Practice

• Belly breathing
• Gentle neck stretch
• Shoulder rolls
• Seated cat/cow
• Mountain Pose
• Crescent Moon
• Eagle Arms

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TURN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR AND SHARE…

What is one idea you learned today that you will implement at your school?

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Thank you!

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy”

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Thich Nhat Hanh