March 2020: Daily actions to help you be more mindful and live in the moment.

Give your eyes a break with this audio-only Digital Wellness Break. Follow along as teacher Stephanie's voice guides you step-by-step through "Tense and Release," a mind-body-breath integration that's designed for children and effective for all ages.

TODAY’S MINDFUL MOVEMENT
🦦 TENSE AND RELEASE 🦦

“It’s the end of a very long day. Back-to-back-to-back meetings. You sign-off from work, gather your belongings, rush out the door... only to get stuck in traffic. Tension rises.

A busy lifestyle with no time to relax can lead to frustration, tension, and chronic stress.

Making time in our busy days to mindfully unwind can help. Tense and Release is one of our favorite relaxation exercises to do just this. By consciously tensing and releasing our bodies, we are able to tune out what is going on outside and tune in to what’s going on inside. And in tune, consciously let go of the tension and stress we carry.

This audio-only relaxation will allow you to return to a state of balance. Just hit 'play' and give your eyes a rest for the next four minutes.” (Yoga Ed.)

- Make eating an event. If you feel like you want to eat, take the time to eat mindfully and with a focus on only the food you are eating. (Not watching T.V. or doing something else at the same time).
- Be mindful of how full you make your plate, by closely observing each scoop you put on.
- Once your plate is full to the desired amount take a moment to closely look at what is on your plate. Notice the colors, the textures, the shapes, and the aroma of the food.
- Next, take a moment to think about your body. Does your body feel hungry? Is your mouth salivating? Do you feel thirsty? Do you feel relaxed and ready to eat mindfully?
- While looking at your plate, take three deep slow breaths. Relax your body and prepare for eating.
- While eating, take your time in every bite. Chewing slowly, noticing the texture and taste in your mouth. Move the food around in your mouth and notice the different tastes on the different sides of your mouth.
- Chew each bite well, this aids in digestion as well as slowing eating down.
- Enjoy being in the present moment, and enjoy each bite you take. Think of peace, joy, contentment and happiness while you eat.
- Eat in silence if you are alone and think about the nourishment your food is providing.
- If with another, put on soft dining music, light candles and talk in soft tones. Talk about the food you are eating with one another. Talk about the flavor, color textures. Make everyday meals an event!
- There is no need to place your fork down between bites if it becomes a distraction. Do what feels comfortable to you. All you need to do is eat slowly, thinking about each bite and the taste.
- Eat until you feel the sensation of fulfillment and the feeling of hunger has passed.
- Notice your last few bites of food with as much intention as your first few bites.
- Upon finishing your meal, take a moment to notice that your plate may be empty or you may still have food upon it and that your hunger is satisfied either way and you have noticed this.
- Take a moment to feel gratitude that your hunger is satisfied and you have eaten a nutritious meal.
- Notice that you have been kind to yourself and feel proud of yourself for taking this opportunity to nourish your body.

What Is It?

A downloadable packet of mindfulness activities and tools from Panorama Education, Open Circle, Breathe for Change, and other expert organizations.

The resources (like a "Self-Care Practice Guide" and a Spotify playlist for Mindful Practice) are perfect for developing your own mindfulness practice and/or modeling mindfulness to staff and students.

Includes great low-lift ideas for tuning up your physical health and mental health, so you can be of better service to students.

What's Inside This Resource Pack?
1. Self-Care Practice Guide (from Breathe For Change)
2. Calm Breathing Techniques for Students (from Open Circle)
3. Free Access to Inner Explorer's Audio-Guided Mindfulness Program
4. Spotify Playlist for Mindful Practice
5. Webinar Recording: Mindfulness Strategies for Adult and Student Wellness

Mindfulness is all about developing a greater awareness of our:
- Thoughts
- Emotions
- Body Sensations
In an atmosphere of curiosity and non-judgment. Mindfulness is a form of brain training, training our brain to pay attention to where we want it to be. We use our breath as an anchor to focus our attention.
Resource includes photo of cycle that describes what our mind does when we practice mindfulness, how we do it, the benefits of it and the chain of events that comes with it.

Check out this App (Apple and Android) to Support Your Child's Social Emotional Growth!

What Is It? "Wisdom: The World of Emotions" is the leading social-emotional learning interactive game for children ages four to eight.

Developed by Better Kids, this free game is designed to build SEL skills through play.

Parents and caregivers can play the game with their children and use Better Kids' supplemental hands-on activities to help their child practice healthy coping strategies and gratitude.

The app’s Parent Board offers printables and hands-on activities that help your child practice mindfulness, healthy coping strategies, gratitude and more, both independently and together with their caregiver.

Wisdom and their cat will appear into your home and coach your child through Augmented Reality breathing games: Breathing with Wisdom, Bubble Breathing and a calming Glitter Jar.

Access playful parenting tips in the Parent Board that will help you address common challenges.