Emotional and Physical Well-Being in Education - Moving from a Mind Full to Mindfulness – 

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                                                                                                 Sujata Taterh

                                                         Advisor, Springdales Children’s School

                                                              Vice- Chairperson, ISTD, Kota Chapter

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The Indian education system has long believed that learning is stuffing the mind full with information and knowledge. The whole body, the emotional and social aspects have very little place in the overall scheme of things, apart from a few extra-curricular activities, thrown in here and there. Students are encouraged to master a subject and compete against others in a never-ending struggle to win or avoid losing. All this leads to mounting stress levels – in the teacher as well as the taught.

Emotional and Physical Well-Being in the Present Scenario.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pandemic has further compounded the situation. India achieved the dubious distinction of becoming the country with the second longest COVID-19 pandemic–linked school closure in the world - next only to Uganda.

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This prolonged school closure has increased the digital divide and set many children back by many years academically.  It has also taken a toll on their emotional and social well-being. It is not uncommon to hear, “What is the use of attending this class? All this is available on the internet.”   There has been an increase in cases of cyber bullying. Cut off from their friends, children would sit withdrawn in front of their screens for hours. I have heard from a close relative that when she asked her teenaged nephew to come out of his secluded space, the reply was “I want some ‘me’ time. Please leave me alone”. Suresh, a father in New Delhi shared, “My seven-year-old boy is violent and aggressive towards the entire family. We do not know what to do”.

 

So now teachers have to deal with the double whammy of coping not only with their own stresses but also of their students. How much ever they might want to help them, every teacher is not a psychologist.

 

The Physiological Effects of Stress:

Research has shown clearly that stress has a negative impact on the growing brain. It can reduce the size of the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for problem solving, creativity and reasoning. It can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It may also affect our digestive, excretory and reproductive systems and impair our body’s immune system. Chronic stress also impairs the activity of the hippocampus, which plays an active and important role in learning, memory and emotion regulation.

 

The Mind-Body Connection:

As educators, we train children how to succeed, but we ignore the operating manual - how our bodies, minds and souls work. We all know that when we become emotionally charged, many sensations sweep through our bodies.  Our breath becomes faster and shallower, our hearts beat faster, our lungs rise and fall quickly.

 

Research has shown that the amygdalae, the threat reactivity centres within the brains limbic system, which get bigger with ongoing stress exposure, can actually get smaller with mindfulness training.

 

Practicing yoga helps to reduce the body’s level of the stress hormone, cortisol. Yogic postures release a great amount of tension from the large muscle groups, giving way to fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients.

 

Deep breathing turns off our sympathetic nervous system that produces stress hormones. So, deep breathing relaxes the body, decreases the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, calms us and ensures that our brain is properly oxygenated.

 

Mindfulness practice leads to structural changes in the brain, which have the potential to improve learning, memory and higher cognitive skills, besides having a positive impact on our mood, concentration and emotional balance. Mindfulness has also been successfully used in the treatment of substance abuse and eating disorders.

 

The Roots of Mindfulness:

Mindfulness has always been an integral part of Hinduism. We get a glimpse of it in the Bhagavad Gita’s discussions on yoga, as well as in Vedic meditation:

With mind, meditate on me as being prana - Kaushitaki Upanishad, 3.2.

 

Ancient Indian literature is replete with references to mindfulness. Breath control is a fundamental aspect of yoga to enable us to transcend the body and mind and connect to the Divine. Some mindfulness meditation practices, such as the body scan, are very similar to yoga.

Buddhism also advocates mindfulness (Sati) as the first step towards enlightenment. It was Jon Kabat-Zinn who took mindfulness from the East to the West and said that mindfulness means, “paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994).

 

Mindfulness as Awareness:

Mindfulness is the practice of accepting the present moment, calmly and non-judgmentally, using all our senses, before responding. It is the very antithesis of multi-tasking, so popular among the youth today. It is our way of taking control of ourselves by accepting the feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations, even when things around us are happening without our control.

 

Mindfulness is the cornerstone of social-emotional intelligence. It is an innate capacity we all have, but neglect as we get caught in the hurry and worry of our lives. Regular practice of being tuned to the present each and every moment, will restore the balance in our lives so that we can stay cool, calm and unruffled in the face of stressful situations.

Implementing Mindfulness in Schools: 

 

One of the best ways to enhance awareness is by practicing attention almost as if we are “explorers”. Regular practice of Mindfulness in schools can lead to greater attention and focus which in turn leads to better memory and better planning as it reduces daydreaming by stretching the “mental muscle”. It regulates emotions and reduces test-related anxiety.

 

We have seen that when children are in the fight, flight, or freeze mode, it is of no use telling them anything, as they have switched off their minds and won’t be able to absorb anything. We first need to calm their nervous system’s stress response. One proven way is deep breathing, an important technique in yoga, now being used extensively in mindfulness. Mindfulness is like a pause button.

We need to let children know that it is OKAY to be not okay all the time. We all have emotions - good and bad alike. It is how they react to these emotions that makes a difference. We also need to avoid telling children what they are feeling, by putting words into their mouths. Let them express themselves. For this they need to be aware of their own emotions. So the first step in developing mindfulness is awareness - awareness of the body-mind connection.

 

An easy to use strategy in classrooms is deep breathing, a de-escalation technique. Tell students to take long, deep breaths into the bottom of their bellies. Have them hold the breath for a few seconds, and then tell them to slowly exhale through their mouths. It can be practiced for just a few minutes maybe 1-3 minutes at any convenient time:

• At the beginning or end of an assembly to help calm the children focus the mind.

• At the beginning of any lesson.

• During transition times such as change from a group activity like role play to a question and answer session within the same period so that the children can calm down and become ready for the next activity.

• Any time the children seem restless.

 

We can teach them to use this technique whenever they feel upset or angry or nervous. We can also teach them to sit in a comfortable and upright posture, breathing normally and simply notice the sensations, as the breath flows in and out rhythmically, simultaneously observing their thoughts and emotions.

 

Another popular activity, is the Listening Bell Activity:

Using a metal bell (or a bell-chime app on the phone), ring the bell and ask children to listen to the sound till it fades away completely. When they can no longer hear the sound, they can raise their hands. As they listen to the sound, they are training that part of their brain that exercises attention and focus.

 

Everyday mundane activities such as drinking water, (mindfully observing  each sip as it goes down the throat), washing hands (feeling the soap suds and water) or brushing teeth (the feel of the bristles as they touch the gums and teeth), walking (observing each step) can also be used for mindfulness training.

 

Change may not be visible immediately. Different children may require different strategies. No worries. The children can be told how this strategy is based on scientific evidence. It is an invaluable life-long skill that they can learn with practice.

 

Teachers may say that they don’t have the time. But teachers who have actually practiced mindfulness training have reported that after deep breathing, students calm down and become more attentive and focused.  So teachers actually have more time to complete their tasks.

Mindfulness is all about being in the present moment, savoring every sensation. There is no right or wrong strategy. It’s a continuous exploration. It is a journey of self-discovery, of developing a new perspective.