Mindful Bodies and Listening
Today we had our first mindfulness lesson. I talked to students about what mindfulness is and how it can help you:
“Mindfulness is paying attention to what is happening in the present moment and can help you when you are feeling sad, angry or frustrated. It can also make you feel happy and it helps you do well in school, sports or music.”
Then I taught them how to sit in their mindful bodies: “Sit with a straight back and stay still and calm”. Then I made them notice how quiet the room is when they are calm, so we started practicing some mindful listening.
The first mindful listening exercise was: “I will ring this bell and you will listen mindfully. When the sound stops you will raise your hand in silence.”
They all did it! They were focused on the sound, even when it was very soft.
The second exercise was the same but with their eyes closed. In fact, in the first round a student asked if they could close their eyes so she could pay more attention. She is aware that when you close your eyes, other senses become stronger. Since we were going to do it both ways I suggested that for the first time she keep her eyes open and that way she could see the difference in both exercises.
They did a great job the second time as well! They were focused and noticed how long the sound was.
The last exercise was to just listen very carefully for one minute and notice if they heard things they didn’t usually hear. They closed their eyes and stayed still, listening mindfully for one minute. At the end, some students shared their experience.
Francisco: yo escuché como si alguien estuviera afuera bailando.
Juan Mario: Yo escuché gritos de personas.
Ximena: yo escuché otras maestras hablando.
After talking about what they heard, I explained that these exercises help them learn how to pay attention better and suggested that they could do it again whenever they want: “You can try to practice this at recess. You can stop for a minute and sit still and listen mindfully. If you decide to do so, you can share what you heard with us. You can also practice mindful listening at home and share your experience with us.”
I invite you to tell your son/daughter to teach you mindful listening so you can practice at home. We will continue sharing what they learn when they decide to practice over the course of the week.
“Mindfulness is paying attention to what is happening in the present moment and can help you when you are feeling sad, angry or frustrated. It can also make you feel happy and it helps you do well in school, sports or music.”
Then I taught them how to sit in their mindful bodies: “Sit with a straight back and stay still and calm”. Then I made them notice how quiet the room is when they are calm, so we started practicing some mindful listening.
The first mindful listening exercise was: “I will ring this bell and you will listen mindfully. When the sound stops you will raise your hand in silence.”
They all did it! They were focused on the sound, even when it was very soft.
The second exercise was the same but with their eyes closed. In fact, in the first round a student asked if they could close their eyes so she could pay more attention. She is aware that when you close your eyes, other senses become stronger. Since we were going to do it both ways I suggested that for the first time she keep her eyes open and that way she could see the difference in both exercises.
They did a great job the second time as well! They were focused and noticed how long the sound was.
The last exercise was to just listen very carefully for one minute and notice if they heard things they didn’t usually hear. They closed their eyes and stayed still, listening mindfully for one minute. At the end, some students shared their experience.
Francisco: yo escuché como si alguien estuviera afuera bailando.
Juan Mario: Yo escuché gritos de personas.
Ximena: yo escuché otras maestras hablando.
After talking about what they heard, I explained that these exercises help them learn how to pay attention better and suggested that they could do it again whenever they want: “You can try to practice this at recess. You can stop for a minute and sit still and listen mindfully. If you decide to do so, you can share what you heard with us. You can also practice mindful listening at home and share your experience with us.”
I invite you to tell your son/daughter to teach you mindful listening so you can practice at home. We will continue sharing what they learn when they decide to practice over the course of the week.