Three-Minute De-Stressor for Teachers

Instructions

Overview

• This is a simple technique to gather your energy and attention to help you feel more grounded and centered in the present. You can do this practice inconspicuously any time you feel the need.

The Practice

• Stand with our feet about shoulder width and relax your knees so that you don’t lock them.
• Bring your attention to a point in your abdomen about two inches below your navel and about an inch into your body. This is the actual center of gravity of your body. (Focusing attention on this point is used in most martial arts to gather and generate vital energy.)
• Spend a few minutes focusing on this point and feeling gravity connecting your body to the earth.

Source

Adapted from Mindfulness for Teachers by Patricia A. Jennings. Copyright © 2015. Published by W. W. Norton. Excerpted by permission of the publisher.

Evidence That It Works

Teachers who practice mindfulness for just a few weeks report a range of positive outcomes, including a decrease in burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression. They also experience physical health benefits, including better sleep quality.

Why Does It Matter?

Taking a moment to center ourselves can help us to become less reactive to mental events as well as real-life events. With time, we can then learn to respond more constructively to stressful experiences and interpersonal conflicts at school and at home. Indeed, teachers who practice mindfulness report reduced interpersonal problems and more emotionally supportive relationships with the students in their classrooms.