Mindfulness for Teachers

An Introductory Guide for Using Mindfulness to Support Preservice Teachers in Mitigating the Negative Effects of Stress and Anxiety

Defining Mindfulness

  • Kabat-Zinn (2003) describes mindfulness as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (p. 144).
    • Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10(2): 144-156.
  • A Definition of Mindfulness Meditation for Children from Mindful.org: “Mindfulness meditation, at its simplest, is paying attention to what is happening in the present moment. It may be what you’re feeling, hearing, or anything else you notice. There’s no special place of calm you have to reach and it’s not about clearing your mind, it’s just an honest and kind look at what you’re experiencing in this moment.”

An Introduction to Mindfulness

Types of Mindfulness Practices

  • Formal/informal meditation practices
  • Regulated breathing techniques
  • Body scans
  • Mindful movements (e.g., Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, Dynamic Mindfulness)
  • Protocols for assessing and proceeding when triggered (e.g., STOP, RAIN)
  • Cultivating positive qualities (e.g., gratitude, loving-kindness, self-compassion, resilience)
  • Attention/focus training
  • Visualization (e.g., guided imagery)
  • Music/sound therapy
  • Journaling activities
  • Inquiry practices
  • Self-talk strategies
  • EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques/tapping)

Sample of Short Mindfulness Practices

The following practices, most of which are only 4-7 minutes long, were either used in class with or shared as additional resources for preservice K-8 teachers in undergraduate mathematics content and/or methods courses (Welder et al., 2022).

Welder, R. M., Burton, M., & Eisenreich, H. (2022). Using mindfulness to support the well-being of preservice K-8 teachers during a pandemic. In Lischka, A. E., Dyer, E. B., Jones, R. S., Lovett, J. N.., Strayer, J., & Drown, S. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Forty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1321-1326). Nashville, TN: Middle Tennessee State University. Retrieve (Open Access) from: https://doi.org/10.51272/pmena.44.2022

Visual Aids for Breathing

Visual Focusing

From the Positive Psychology Program: “Focus your attention on the center of the shifting pattern of color. You can let your mind wander freely, noticing whatever thoughts come into your head but staying in the present. Try not to lose yourself in thought, and instead stay present and let your thoughts pass by.”

Single-Pointed Concentrations

From Destress Monday: “Having a single point on which to focus enables you to veer away from other distractions or thoughts that are causing you to feel anxious, nervous, or stressed out. It almost seems too simple to focus on a single point, but it’s actually a challenge that may serve as a mental exercise.”

Mindful Listening

Anchoring to our Senses

Body Scans

From Elisha Goldstein: “The body scan alternates between a wide and narrow focus of attention; from focusing on your little toe all the way through the entire body. The body scan trains your mind to be able to move from detailed attention to a wider and more spacious awareness from one moment to the next.”

Observing Thoughts

Positive Self-Talk

Responding to Stress

EFT Tapping

Cultivating Happiness

Cultivating Gratitude

Mindful Movement

Loving Kindness & Self-Compassion

Working Through Challenges

Formal Meditation

Additional Resources

Mindfulness for Teachers

Mindfulness for Education