Notice Your Breath. Be Here, Now.
As an ongoing practice for both students and teachers in grades 6-8, Bentley has partnered with Inner Explorer to provide 5-10 minutes of mindfulness throughout the week.
We're just getting started, and here's what a couple of our advisors have to say about the first day of mindfulness practice:
"In our very first mindfulness activity of the year, it was really surprising to see the transformation in energy in just a matter of minutes. The 6th graders came in a little scattered and with very high energy from PE and recess, but after doing the guided activity things calmed down and we were definitely more ready to take on our Advisory work for the day." - Mr. Ryan
“Our first mindfulness activity of 7th grade was a huge success. We started morning advisory with a meditation that was chosen by our advisees. They chose a calming beach meditation video that allowed us to visualize a beach and take deep breaths as we calmed our bodies and minds. The activity was a natural segue into a conversation about our favorite beaches as well as ways to relax. It was great to start our day calmly and as a community. Our 7th-grade advisory, along with the other 7th-grade advisories, decided to start every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a guided meditation for our mindfulness activity.” - Dr. Dean
“Although it was just an introduction to mindfulness and the benefits of it, the 8th-grade students responded by quieting themselves and remaining calm during the period. We then spoke afterwards about the power of our breath, and how slowing and focusing on our breathing can help reduce stress. Hopefully, this will help students reduce some of the stressors that come with school, and their upcoming promotion to high school.” - Mr. Stieber
