Remember to Breathe

A Practice in Mindfulness for Struggling

Students
Jaime Grodberg | 11/02/2019
Jaime Grodberg
• Taught in inner city public schools for 14 years
in both Massachusetts and Colorado

• Mentored new teachers for three years

• Created curriculum for 6th grade Language Arts

and 4th grade Mathematics for four years

• Trained educators on teacher-created

curriculum

• Currently the Director of Programs at Blank blankcapeproject.org

Cape Project, a non-profit organization that
helps students find their inner superhero IG: blankcapeproject
Facebook: Blank Cape Project
 Program Description
Remember to Breathe, is a collaborative program between
Blank Cape Project and my experience as a classroom teacher
and global citizen.

It provides:
• mindfulness techniques
• processes for emotional, physical, and
mental well-being
• building blocks to grow students into
responsive citizens
 Learning Targets

Participants discover Participants work Participants recognize

their inner voice and toward reclaiming their self-motivation and
self-regulating personal powers so leadership skills to
strategies necessary that they can become socially
to function efficiently extinguish negative responsible members
and effectively behavior patterns. of the school
throughout their day. community.

blankcapeproject.org IG: blankcapeproject Facebook: Blank Cape Project

Remember To Breathe
Slow the Mind, Control the Body

• Provides a space for students to slow down their

minds

• Gains control of their bodies

• Helps students relax

• Lowers the harmful effects of the stress hormone

cortisol

• Lowers a student’s heart rate and blood pressure

blankcapeproject.org IG: blankcapeproject Facebook: Blank Cape Project

 Four Square Breathing

Hold 4 Count

Breathe Out 4 Count

Breathe In 4 Count
Before the Breathing After the Breathing
Technique: Technique:
“How are you feeling “How are you feeling
right now?” right now?”

Hold 4 Count

blankcapeproject.org IG: blankcapeproject Facebook: Blank Cape Project

blankcapeproject.org IG: blankcapeproject Facebook: Blank Cape Project
 Ubuntu
South Africa 2012

blankcapeproject.org IG: blankcapeproject Facebook: Blank Cape Project

 Ubuntu: I am because we are

An anthropologist proposed a game to children of an

African Tribe. He put a basket of fruit near a tree and told
the kids that the first one to reach the fruit would win
them all. When he told them to run they all took each
others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying
the fruits. When asked why they ran like that, as one
could have taken all the fruit for oneself, they said,
“Ubuntu, how can one of us be happy if all the others are
sad?” ‘Ubuntu’ is a philosophy of African tribes that can
be summed up as “I am because we are.”

-Author Unknown
 Ubuntu in Action

“I think even as kids, we want to

express our love or gratitude
for others, but we don’t always
know how. So with the help of
others, it can be a beautiful thing.”

-Marina, 10th grade

 Benefits of Meditation
Reduces Improves
stress sleep

Generates
Helps kindness
maintain
focus

Increases
Promotes attention
emotional span
Enhances
health
self-
awareness
 Now For a Brief Meditation
● Close your eyes ● Open the crown chakra
● Three deep breaths ● Picture sand flowing your body
● Allow the chair to support you ● Slowly release the sand
● Drop your shoulders
 Meditation In Action
“I used to have terrible anxiety
when I was younger. When it
was time for tests, I would get
so stressed that I would shut
down and not want to do
anything. But meditating made
me feel soooo relaxed and
ready that I felt like I did
better.”
-Aalyah, 19
“The meditation we did allowed
me to relax and destress during
the long school day, and it
made me more focused in class
and ready to learn.”
-Josie, 18
“It helped me learn how to calm
down and later in life, I used it as
a way to control my anxiety and
panic attacks. It was also a great
“Meditation made me calm way to start off the day by
down and take a break for a calming down the mind and
moment and it was pretty fun being able to think clear.”
too.” -Liz, 18
-Siyla, 14
“At the time it really helped me calm
myself down and it allowed me to
focus more, which I thought was great
because I was wild.”
-Kayro, 19
 Reflective Journaling

➔ Take 5-10 minutes for processing the meditation through reflective journaling

➔ Each student will have their own journal, pen, pencil, crayons, etc.

➔ Allow students to write or draw what they experienced during their meditation
◆ What they felt during their mediation
◆ What they saw in their mind’s eye
◆ What they felt in their bodies
◆ Other sensations they experienced
 Reflective Journaling In Action

“I felt really calm after “I kept seeing my dog

meditating. I didn’t running. I miss him a lot, but
know how to calm down I liked being able to play
my brain before.” with him during this
-Aa’nyah, 12 meditation.”
-Tyler, 12

“I am not sure that I felt or

“I saw light running saw anything, but my
through my body and I body feels calmer and I
felt happier.” am relaxed now. I wasn’t
-John, 13 relaxed when I got here.”
-Briana, 12
Group Processing

● Verbally process experiences

● 8-10 minutes

● What happens here, stays here

Group Processing

Wher
e the
magic
happe
ns
 Setting Core Values

Use the prompt:

“I value ____, so I ____.”

Examples:
“I value kindness, so I am kind to others.”

“I value knowledge, so I work hard in school.”

“I value friendships, so I respect my friends.”

 Connecting the Dots
Setting core
Connecting to values provides a
the breath helps tangible way to
students slow incorporate
down and find a mindfulness into
quiet place to an applicable
process daily practice

Meditation
gives students
tools to focus,
and gain control
over anxiety

Ubuntu Reflective
promotes a journaling allows
feeling of for time to
community and discover inner
extinguishes strength
feelings of
isolation
Meditation Resources

-Calm.com/teacher (Free 30 day trial)

-Happy Not Perfect app through Edmodo
-Insight Timer

Thank
you!