Mindfulness practices…

…for focused classrooms.

Hello all. Welcome to the 164th edition of TEPS Weekly!

Miss Anjali teaches Grade 3. As the bell rings, she feels her chest tighten because she knows the next few minutes will be difficult. The students enter noisily. Some drag their chairs, some call out to friends, and a few run to the back benches. Before they are even seated, Miss Anjali starts speaking quickly: “Rohan, sit down. Meera, stop talking. Arjun, keep your bag properly. Everyone, please be quiet.” Her voice becomes louder with each instruction. For a few seconds, the class becomes quiet, but the noise starts again. During the lesson, she notices that one child turns every time footsteps pass outside the classroom, another keeps tapping a pencil, and a few students stare out of the window instead of following the activity.

Mr. Vivek teaches Grade 3. As the bell rings, he feels positive and ready to start. He stands at the door with a smile. The students come in noisily. Some drag their chairs, some call out to friends, and a few rush towards the back benches. Instead of raising his voice, Mr. Vivek calmly says, “Let’s find our seats. It’s time to breathe.” He lifts one hand and models the action.“Let’s take three slow breaths together. Breathe in like you are smelling a flower… and breathe out like you are cooling hot soup.” Some students giggle at first, but they join in. After three breaths, the room becomes quieter. During the lesson, students are engaged and attentive. Mr. Vivek proceeds with the same positive energy. 

What we have seen here is the impact of what is now considered a very efficient way to improve the quality of human life – mindfulness. 

Mindfulness and its benefits 

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment without judgment, focusing on thoughts and feelings with curiosity. Mindfulness has to be developed through practices that are meditative and reflective in nature. This article will look into practices like breathing and grounding via the senses, which are very effective starting points and can be performed quickly. 

These practices are simple, but research shows that mindfulness can change how the brain works. These brain-level changes help explain its many benefits. Here is a very simplified view of how mindfulness practices affect some brain areas:

From this graphic, it is apparent that mindfulness helps one engage more deeply (cortex), reduces fear and anxiety (amygdala and parasympathetic nervous system), and reduces unnecessary overthinking (default mode network or DMN). These changes not only make the brain calmer but also support its cognitive functions, such as focus and memory, leading to better performance of tasks. 

Mindfulness for students 

There is research on how mindfulness at school benefits students by increasing student concentration, reducing exam anxiety, and improving performance (test scores). The good thing is that positive effects are seen in a short period of time with very simple practices. 

Considering that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends a paradigm shift toward a holistic model designed to nurture the “whole child”, integration of mindfulness seems the right step forward.

As with core subjects, mindfulness training must be tailored to align with students’ attention spans and emotional needs. If not, the practices can seem overwhelming. For preschoolers, whose attention spans are brief and whose brains are still developing impulse control, techniques are most effective when they are short (1–3 minutes) and framed as play. As children transition to primary school, they develop the capacity for sustained attention and can be engaged in more structured exercises that need focus. By the secondary level, adolescents can handle longer, more complex practices to manage academic stress. 

Below is a list of some activities for different grade levels. All these activities need very little time (5–10 minutes).

Sensory Grounding: These are sensory awareness exercises designed to bring the mind back into the present moment. They work by intentionally engaging the five senses (sight, touch, sound, smell, taste) to create a “sensory anchor” in reality.

• Preschool practices:

  • The Sound Hunt: Ask the children to become "listening detectives." Have them sit silently for 1 minute with their eyes closed to find 3 "secret sounds" in the room (eg: the hum of a fan, a bird outside, footsteps in the hallway).

  • Mindful Snacking: During snack time, guide them to eat one bite in "super slow motion." Ask them to describe how the food feels on their tongue, if it makes a "crunch" sound, and whether it tastes sweet or salty.

• Primary school practices:

  • The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique: Ask students to silently identify 5 things they see, 4 things they can touch (textures of clothes/desk), 3 things they hear, 2 things they smell and 1 thing they can taste.

  • Nature/Object Observation: Provide an object like a leaf, stone or pencil. Ask students to observe it for 2 minutes as if they are scientists seeing it for the first time, noting every tiny pattern, colour shade and ridge.

• Secondary school practices

  • The STOP Technique: A rapid reset used during stress or confusion. Stop what you're doing, Take a breath, Observe your thoughts/feelings ("I feel anxious, and that's okay") and Proceed with a clear intention.

  • Mental Alphabet Search: Challenge students to find an object in the room for every letter of the alphabet (A-Clock, B-Book, etc.). This forces the brain to focus on external reality rather than internal anxiety loops.

Breathwork: This involves the deliberate control and observation of breathing rhythms. It serves as a tool to calm the mind. 

• Preschool practices:

  • Balloon Breathing: Ask the children to place their hands on their bellies and imagine they are inflating a giant, colourful balloon with every inhale. As they exhale slowly, they imagine the balloon deflating and becoming small again.

  • Bunny Breath: Instruct the children to take three quick, short sniffs through their nose (just like a rabbit sniffing a carrot) and then one long, slow exhale through their mouth to release all the air.

• Primary school practices:

  • Starfish Breathing: Students spread one hand like a starfish. Using the pointer finger of the other hand, they trace up a finger while inhaling and trace down while exhaling, repeating for all five fingers. 

  • Pursed-Lip "Straw" Breathing: Instruct students to inhale deeply through the nose and then exhale through the mouth as if they are blowing through a very tiny straw. This makes the exhale long and slow, instantly calming the nervous system.

• Secondary school practices:

  • 4-7-8 Technique: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale forcefully for 8. This specific ratio is a "biological reset.”.

  • Alternate Nostril Breathing: Students use their right thumb to close the right nostril and inhale deeply through the left. They then close the left nostril with their ring finger, release the right, and exhale. They inhale through the right, close it again and exhale through the left. This cycle is repeated for 1–3 minutes.

Body Scan: This is a practice where focused attention is moved through different parts of the body, typically from the toes to the head.  

• Preschool practices:

  • The Body Detective: Have children check if their bodies feel "wiggly" or "still." Ask them to "spy" on their toes to see if they are cold or warm, then move their "spy-glass" up to their knees, their tummy and finally their smile.

  • Floating on a Cloud: Ask children to lie down and imagine they are sinking into a soft, fluffy white cloud. Guide them to feel their feet, legs and arms becoming as light as a feather as the cloud holds them safely.

• Primary school practices:

  • The Calming Map: A 5-minute guided focus where students "label" sensations. Starting from the feet, they mentally note if an area feels "tight," "relaxed," "heavy" or "tingly" without trying to change it.

  • Power Pose Scan: Have students stand in a "Superman" or "Wonder Woman" pose. Ask them to close their eyes and feel the strength in their legs, the openness in their chest and the steadiness in their breath.

• Secondary school practices

  • Tension Release Scan: Ask students to mentally scan and consciously relax the brow, the jaw, the shoulders and the chest.

  • Interoceptive Map: A detailed scan from head to toe where students observe the weight of their body against the chair and the subtle movement of their internal organs with the breath.

Effective implementation of mindfulness techniques:

These techniques can help teachers by making a class more focused and easier to manage. To actually harness the best of these practices, here is the “how” and “when” for mindfulness practices. 

• Time: Conduct a short practice at the start of class or during transitions (between periods, change of activity or after breaks) to help students "fully arrive" in the classroom.

• Secular Delivery: Frame practices as "brain training" or "performance hacks" to maintain cultural sensitivity and universal participation. 

• Explaining aims to students: Frame mindfulness as "learning a superpower" to manage big feelings to young students and as an "internal toolkit" or a "performance hack" to older students. 

• Make it Relevant: Relate practices to student interests, such as better grades or staying calm with friends.

• Extracurricular integration: Practice “Mindful Travel” when moving to sports fields or exam centres by paying attention to the environment. Create a “calm corner” in the classroom if possible. 

While all these factors are important, the most important one is the mental state of the teacher. Scroll back to the examples at the start of this article:  She feels her chest tighten because she knows the next few minutes will be difficult. Vs. He feels positive and ready to start. He stands at the door with a smile. 

When teachers practise mindfulness themselves, they develop greater empathy, resilience and emotional regulation, which allows them to better manage their classrooms as well as to create a non-judgmental space for students to engage in mindful practices. So, walk the talk and make mindfulness a practised reality and not an abstract concept. Some of the practices given in this article might be great to begin with!

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Edition: 5.19