The Mindful Classroom

TOOLKIT FOR EDUCATORS

Mindfulness
AN INTRODUCTION

Mindfulness is not something that you can put on your back to

school shopping list and go buy at Target. If it was, we’d probably
all be at our local stores filling our shopping carts with peace of
mind as we prepare to go back to school!

Mindfulness is a daily practice, a way we choose to live our lives,

and maybe a way that you choose to lay the foundation for your
classroom this school year.

In this toolkit, we will explore simple mindful practices for you,

ways to cultivate a mindful classroom environment, and simple
tools you can use to share mindfulness with your students.

2 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

Mindfulness begins with you.
4 SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR MINDFUL TEACHING

3 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 1 Pause before you respond.

Before you respond to a students’ question or behavior, pause.

Check in with yourself, become present to your own thoughts,

feelings, and sensations that you are having at that moment in
reaction to your student's questions or behavior. Notice if these
thoughts, feeling, and sensations may become a part of the way
you choose to respond.

As teachers when we take a pause, it allows us to bring clarity to

the way we choose to respond to our students.

1
Instead of reacting to questions or behavior, we give ourselves
the mental space that allows us to slow down and become aware
of our thoughts objectively.

This creates perspective and freedom to choose the most

effective way to respond to our students.

2 More Listening, Less Talking

When your students speak, try to let go of the tendency to talk over, cut off, or compare your own experiences
to theirs.

Try listening to each student as if they are the most important person in the world to you.

Listen by not only acknowledging what your students are saying to you, but also being mindful of your
students’ feelings, physical responses, body language, and other nonverbal signals.

4 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
3 Let Empathy Lead
Empathy is the act of understanding and sharing the feelings of others. It’s the ability to put yourself in
someone else’s shoes. Teaching from a place of empathy can dramatically change the classroom
environment. When you practice empathy in your classroom, you connect to your students’ experiences and
allow them to feel heard and cared for. Remember when you model empathy towards your students, not
only will it give meaning to your work, but it also supports the development of empathy in your students.

4 Daily Gratitude Journal

Research has found many benefits to the simple act of writing
down what we’re grateful for, including increased happiness and
better sleep.

The practice is simple: find your favorite journal (we love

Moleskine) and at the end of each school day, write down 3
things you were grateful about in your day.

Remember these few things when journaling:

Go Deep Not Wide: Get detailed about what you are grateful
for and why.
People Over Things: Thinking about people rather than
material things can be more impactful.
Ask Yourself, “What If This Was Not In My Life?”: Reflect on
how your life would be affected.

5 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

Cultivating a mindful space.
5 EASY WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR CLASSROOM ZEN

6 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
11 Cleanliness
Dust, dirt, and clutter are external distractions that can detract from the ability to concentrate. Cleanliness
and order promote clarity of mind and balanced self-awareness. Take the time to deep clean your room and
tidy up before your students arrive back to school.

2 Plants
Plants can not only provide an opportunity for children to care
for their environment but also create a relaxing classroom
atmosphere and purify the air children breathe.

Indoor plants we love (that don’t need sunlight):

Fiddle Fig
Kentia Plam
Philodendron
Ivy (Golden Pothos)
Mothers Tongue (Sansevieria Laurentii)

3
13 Lighting
Light is essential to learning. It enhances visual performance, regulates alertness and sleep, stabilizes mood,
and enables the production of neurotransmitters such as melatonin and serotonin, and ultimately affects
cognitive performance and learning. Indirect sunlight is best for learning; open the blinds and let the light
shine in. If you don’t have a room with natural light, try changing the fluorescent lights out with LED bulbs.

7 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 4 Scent
Using essential oils in the classroom may calm students, boost mood, sharpen focus, and at the very least clear
unpleasant odors from a room. After you have made sure that none of your students are allergic to oils, a great
way to use oils in your classroom is by using an essential oil diffuser which will disperse oils throughout the
room, allowing everyone to receive the benefit.

Oils we love:
Peppermint for focusing before a test
Lavender for calming down
Wild Orange for energizing a sleepy class

Oil brands and diffusers we adore:

DoTERRA
1
Young Living
Stadler Form
Saje

5 Create a Calm Corner

A calm corner is a quiet area of the room equipped with soft
furnishings and soothing materials to help a student de-escalate
when upset. The purpose of a calm corner is for students to
briefly get away from a frustrating task or over-stimulating
activity to de-escalate, refocus, and recenter.

What’s in a Calm Corner?

Mindful quotes and/or posters on the wall
A seat or cushion for students to calm their body (we love
Target's Sensory Friendly Cocoon Seat).
A small table
Mindfulness jar
Yoga Pretzel Decks
Mindful Practice Board

8 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

Creating a culture of mindfulness.
4 TOOLS TO SHARE MINDFULNESS WITH YOUR STUDENTS

9 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
11 Breath
Conscious breathing is a powerful practice to bring into the classroom. By releasing tension and increasing
focus, conscious breathing creates space for your students - and you - to become present and engaged.

Balloon Breath Ocean Breath

Benefits Benefits
+ Relieves stress + Calms the mind
+ Triggers the relaxation response + Releases tension in the neck and lower face

Instructions Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair. Make sure both 1. Begin seated in your chair. Make sure both
feet are touching the floor and you are sitting feet are touching the floor and you are sitting
up tall in your body. up tall in your body. 
2. Place both hands on your belly  2. Inhale through your nose.
3. Inhale breathe into your belly, filling your 3. Exhale, open your mouth “hahhh,” making the
belly full of air  sound of an ocean wave.
4. Exhale, feeling your belly lower and contract.

10 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
12 Poses
For many people, moving in mindfulness is an easier way than sitting in mindfulness. Yoga puts mindfulness
into movement as the practitioner becomes completely present to physical sensations rather than being
distracted by the mind, and consciously focuses on releasing tension in the body and calming the mind.

Shoulder Circles

Benefits
+ Relieves stress
+ Triggers the relaxation response

Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair. Make sure both feet are touching the floor and you are sitting up tall in
your body.
2. Place both hands on your belly 
3. Inhale breathe into your belly, filling your belly full of air 
4. Exhale, feeling your belly lower and contract.

11 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
1

Seated Side Stretch

Benefits
+ Strengthens the abdominals
+ Stretches the hip flexors, side of the torso, and shoulders
+ Builds focus and concentration

Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Inhale, interlace your fingers.
3. Exhale, turn your palms up toward the ceiling, creating space between your hands and your head.
4. Inhale, sit up tall.
5. Exhale, extend over to your right side.
6. Inhale, come back to center.
7. Exhale, extend over your left side.
8. Inhale, come back to center.
9. Exhale, release your hands to your knees.

12 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
1

Seated Twist

Benefits
+ Strengthens the back
+ Stretches the groin, chest, spine, and shoulders
+ Calms the mind

Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair with your feet on the floor sitting up tall in your spine.
2. Inhale, reach your arms up.
3. Exhale, reach your right hand to the outside of your left knee.
4. Inhale, sit tall.
5. Exhale, bring your left hand behind you. Twist to look over your shoulder.
6. Breathe.
7. When you are ready, untwist and come back to seated.
8. Repeat on the other side.

13 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
1

Rainbow Spine

Benefits
+ Warms up the spine
+ Integrates the mind, body, and breath

Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair with your feet on the floor sitting up tall in your spine.
2. Place your hands on your knees. Inhale and rock forward, pressing against your knees with your
hands and arching your back like a rainbow.
3. Exhale and rock backward, pressing your hands into your knees and rounding your back.

14 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
1

Seated Forward Fold

Benefits
+ Strengthens the abdominals
+ Stretches the hips, calves, hamstrings, and spine
+ Calms the mind

Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair with your feet on the floor sitting up tall in your spine.
2. Inhale, reach your arms up to the sky.
3. Exhale, hinge from your hips and extend your arms forward, placing your hands on the outsides of
your legs.
4. Breathe.
5. When you are ready, inhale and come back up to seated.

15 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
13 Mindful Movement Brain Breaks
Maintaining students’ focus and attention in the classroom can be a daily struggle. Taking one to five minute
brain breaks throughout the school day can help to boost energy, improve student outcomes, and support
instructional time.

Thumb and Finger

Instructions
1. Begin seated in your chair. Sit up tall in your body.
2. Bring your hands in the air.
3. Tuck your thumbs in and bring your four fingers on top.
4. Point your right index finger up.
5. Point your thumb out.
6. On the count of three, switch hands so that the left index finger points up and the right thumb
points out.
7. Repeat.

16 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 3
14 Relaxation
A busy lifestyle with no time to relax can lead to chronic stress. When we are active during the day, we
naturally need to relax. Given students’ increased workload and extracurricular activities, it is very
important that you encourage your students to take time to relax. Relaxation is a proven way to increase
productivity and learning.

17 | MINDFUL CLASSROOM • YOGA ED.

 Tense and Release
Have students come to lying in Legs up the Chair or
Forward Fold at the Desk.
You can keep your eyes open or close your eyes, whichever is most comfortable for
you. Take a deep breath in, take a deep breath out. As if you’re falling asleep, let go
of all thoughts. Just feel your breath. I’ll wait for everyone to settle, sigh and melt,
release any wiggles, movement, and tension. With every breath, you become more
and more relaxed... great.

I am going to take you through a progressive relaxation. When I call out a body part
and say inhale you will tighten only that body part. When I saw exhale you will relax
that body part.

Beginning with your feet and only your feet inhale, tighten your feet and only your
feet, exhale, release and let go.

Bring your awareness to your legs, your shins, your calves, your thighs, and your
hamstrings, inhale and tighten your legs, exhale, release and let go.

Bring your awareness to your bottom, your low belly, and your low back and inhale
and tighten, exhale, release and let go.

Bring your awareness to your upper chest, your upper back, between your shoulder
blades, and your shoulders, inhale and tighten, exhale and release.

Bring your awareness to your arms, your forearms your biceps, inhale and tighten
your arms, exhale and release.

Bring your awareness to your hands, make to tight fists, inhale and tighten, exhale
and release.

Bring your awareness to your face, pucker your face, your eyes, your nose your lips,
inhale and tighten, exhale and release.

Bring your awareness to your entire body, inhale, tighten your entire body, exhale
and release.

Take a deep breath in through your nose, exhale, out of your mouth.

Pause for a few moments. (30 second Pause) 

Now it’s time to come back to the room. Gently begin to wiggle your fingers and
7 |
your
EVERYDAY
toes. Take any final stretches that feel good to you and slowly come back to a
WELLNESS • YOGA ED.

comfortable seated position in your chair.