We know how busy teacher life can get—and November offers some extra challenges with the demands of assessment and reporting. It’s more important than ever to squeeze in some wellness, so in this episode, we share our favourite practices and how to fit them into your hectic day.
Learn more about how breathwork, mindfulness, movement, and meditation support your mental and physical health to keep you healthy and happy during this busy season.
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Interested in more accountability and support to strengthen your wellness? Join our Winter Wellness Week November 15-21 for 7 days of recorded and live practices with a fun and encouraging community! More information available at https://kgeducation.ca/wellness.
Wellness Practices for Busy Educators
Mindful Breathing
I was lucky to learn about mindfulness from a divisional counselor who visited my Grade 1 classroom and taught a series of mindfulness lessons. It was so helpful for me and my students that I went on to take my Mindful Educator Essentials course with Mindful Schools.
One simple, but powerful practice I learned was mindful breathing. You can do this anywhere, alone or surround by people, with your students or while they work. The idea of mindfulness is to pay close attention. Therefore, mindful breathing is about paying close attention to your breath. Begin by taking a big inhale and exhale. Then, let your breathing return to normal and simply pay attention to your inhales and exhales. Try it for a minute or for 5! We think you’ll find it a helpful way to reset and refocus.
Movement
Even if you resist getting your movement in for the day, you know you’ll feel better after some exercise! If you can fit in a workout, yoga class or long walk, that’s awesome. Consider practising yoga with Devon on Insight Timer or trying one of the HIIT workouts from Leah’s favourite YouTube fitness instructor, Heather Robertson.
Short on time? We know it can be tough to fit in a full workout some days, but how about one of these ideas to fit some movement into your day:
- dance it out with your students
- go for a quick walk around the playground, down the street, around the school gym or even up and down the hallways
- power walk when you’re on recess duty
- join your students when you provide a movement break
- try the 5 minute stretch break included in our Teacher Wellness Toolkit
Meditation
This was the hardest one to get started with, but now that we have experienced the benefits of meditation, it’s part of our regular practice. Keep in mind that it’s easiest to start with a short time of stillness (maybe 1 minute?). We also find it helpful to use guided meditation tracks or meditation music.
This is another practice you can take with you anywhere. Try a minute of meditation when you start your day at home, while your students are out of the classroom or even with your students.
Find guided meditations on Insight Timer to get started.
More Support for Your Wellness
Try our free Teacher Wellness Toolkit for 3 wellness practices that we find helpful.
Join the Winter Wellness Week for daily wellness challenges from November 15-21,2021.
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