DeStress Monday at School

For Teachers/For the Classroom

Try this practice on your own and then teach it to your students with the help of the guided audio meditation below.

You can let the sidewalk take you to a calmer place. Just pay attention to the experience of walking – the sights and sounds around you, how your feet feel touching the ground, your breathing, and the rhythm of your walk. You can go slowly or quickly. You can do this anywhere – on the street, in the hallway at school, walking to your bed. All you need to do is pay attention in a different way to something you’re already doing.

Here are some instructions you can use with your students to tell them how to bring mindful walking into their day-to-day lives:

1. It’s great if you can pick a time when you can practice mindful walking for at least 5 minutes. Maybe there is a time each day when you walk somewhere that you could use as a regular practice, like walking to school or walking your dog.
2. Notice all the sensations of walking in your feet and the rest of your body and the sights and sounds of the world around you as you move through space. Try adjusting how quickly or slowly you’re moving, and notice the difference in how it feels.
3. Help focus your mind by counting your steps or repeating “left, right, left, right” as you walk.

Mindful walking can be done whenever and wherever you like, all week long! It can help clear your head and make you feel more focused and grounded.

Here is an audio practice you can use for a more structured mindful walking meditation with your students in the classroom. Make sure you clear enough space for students to walk in the classroom first.