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Stop. Breathe. Pay Attention.
 PTSA Sponsors Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Classes
In a PTSA funded pilot program, Lisa Jones, certified as a Classroom Instructor by Mindfulness in Schools, taught a MBSR curriculum in the spring semester classes of WHS Health Teacher, Sharon Loughran. Jones taught 9 lessons, once per week, all designed to develop Mindfulness Skills. Coach Loughran is so impressed by the impact of this curriculum that she has started implementing the strategies with her health and PE students in the classroom and with her soccer team on the field.
Mindfulness is simply a method of mental training. In a nutshell, it is the practice of becoming aware of what is happening in the present moment and of learning to relate more skillfully to thoughts, emotions, and impulses as they arise. MBSR is utilized by healthcare professionals, elite sports professionals, corporations like Goggle and even in the offices of US Congressmen. New imaging technologies show that mindfulness practices have a positive impact on the brain. Through neuroplasticity, these practices can train our brain to control our body's responses to stressors in our lives. Studies have proven that practicing mindfulness decreases anxiety and depression; increases memory, reaction times and mental stamina; and reduces the key indicators of chronic stress.
Richard Burnett, co-founder of the Mindfulness in Schools Project, wrote the highly-acclaimed 9-week mindfulness course, .b (pronounced dot-b), designed to engage adolescents in the classroom. "Our mental health and well-being are profoundly affected by where and how we place our attention". In this enlightening TED TALK on Mindfulness in Schools , Richard demonstrates a short mindfulness meditation, and shares his experience of teaching mindfulness in schools. He reveals some of the amazing benefits being mindful can bring to the classroom and inspires the audience with simple ways to bring more awareness to how we respond to our everyday experiences.
The .b course skillfully adapts key mindfulness practices to appeal to young people. There's beditation (a body scan), FOFBOC (Feet on Floor, Bum on Chair), 7/11 (breathe in for 7 seconds, out for 11) and .b (dot-b), which is the two-character text message that students send and receive as the cue to take a moment, center themselves and breathe. There's also multimedia content to further engage the students. Lessons include training the muscle of the mind for focus and attention but also strive to develop skills for recognizing and coping with worry, stress and fear. Additionally, studies show up to a 15% increase in math scores in .b graduates. It makes sense that if testing anxiety lowers math scores, giving students tools to manage test anxiety can dramatically increase test scores.
Results of the end-of-course survey of the WHS students that took the classes showed they reaped tangible benefits from the lessons and felt they gained skills to help them "focus and perform better under stressful situations, especially exams." Also, the students reported using the strategies to help them sleep, to keep them calm and focused in sports and fine arts performances, to help them control their anger, to be more present and grateful, to be less tense in social situations, to be a better friend and to be happier in general. And they rated Lisa Jones as an exceptional instructor, one remarking, "I feel myself becoming calmer when I walk in the door of your classroom!"
Mindfulness is a research supported practice that anyone can learn. It can be practiced anywhere at anytime and can drastically impact emotional intelligence, academic performance, focus at any task, and life long health. Based on the overwhelmingly positive results of the pilot program, the PTSA plans to expand the number of health classes that receive mindfulness training next year. To learn more about mindfulness or the .b program, sign-up for informational updates and resource references here: Mindfulness@WaltonHS
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