Setting the Tone for September |
Setting the Tone for a Mindful School
A Principal's Story: As I (John) prepared to leave at the end of a long school day, a student I'll call "Carl" came running toward me across the asphalt, clearly upset and in tears. Shortly after, another student whom I'll call "Ron" came tearing across the yard in our direction. Ron was frequently referred to my office and well known for being aggressive, belligerent, and out of control. "I don't have any energy or empathy left in me to deal with this," I thought.
I body-blocked Carl and asked Ron, "What happened? Did you guys get in a fight?"
"No!" said Ron. "Move out of the way! I can help him!"
Surprised, I complied. Ron gently stood with Carl up against the wall and said, "Come, breathe with me. It will help you feel better."
As Ron led Carl in a few deep, deliberate breaths, Carl visibly calmed down. Before long, the two boys ran back across the schoolyard together.
The Power of Breath
What does a bit of breathing have to do with students feeling safe, valued, loved, and appreciated? Your breathing changes when you are sad, mad, happy, or nervous. Researchers have been studying this relationship for thousands of years, concluding that the connection between our nervous and respiratory systems is bidirectional (Seppälä, 2013). Our moods and feelings affect our breath regulation, and vice versa. So, if you change the way you breathe, you can change the way you feel.
As two people who work in education (John is the principal of Park Middle School in Antioch, Calif., and Bidyut is the director of the Niroga Institute, a nonprofit that works with schools on mindfulness practices), we have seen firsthand the power of breath work in the lives of teachers and students.
Click here to read the full article published in ACSD Express
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