Multimedia

Find films, lesson videos, presentations, guided audios, and books helpful for introducing mindfulness to your school.

Watch Films About Mindfulness in Education

Are you looking for an overview of mindfulness in education to help parents, staff, and administrators understand the power of this work? Start with these short videos and films. All are free and can be shown at staff meetings and parent education nights.

Just Breathe (4 min)

Watch and listen to young students describe how mindfulness helps them handle difficult emotions in this 4-minute film from Julie Bayer, one of our Mindful Schools graduates. You can learn more about the Just Breathe film here.

Room to Breathe (56 min)

Airing on PBS, Room to Breathe was the first broadcast documentary on mindfulness in education. Raw, authentic and human, it is great for showing people what mindfulness training really looks like in a school community dealing with an array of economic, academic and mental health challenges.

Arrive (2 min)

At the start of class, Ms. O guides her high school students in a simple mindfulness meditation practice. This allows students to quiet their nervous systems and get ready to learn. Arrive was filmed at Gateway High School in San Francisco, CA.

Healthy Habits of Mind (41 min)

Healthy Habits of Mind is a 45-minute overview of Mindfulness in Education. Featuring pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson, it focuses less on classroom implementation than Room to Breathe but has more contextual information on the neurobiology and research underpinning mindfulness. A great overview piece for administrators.

Watch and Download a Starter Lesson

1st Grade Classroom Demo

K-5 Curriculum: Mindful Bodies & Listening

Download a Starter Lesson

Click here to download the Mindful Schools Starter Lesson, demonstrated in the videos above, that introduces mindful bodies and mindful listening to K-5 elementary school students. Try the lesson in your classroom and notice how your students respond.

4th Grade Classroom Demo

K-5 Curriculum: Mindful Bodies & Listening

Next:

Explore our Mindful Educator Essentials course to access the complete K-12 curriculum and learn neuroscience, facilitation strategies, and more. Upcoming Session.

Try 3 Guided Audio Mindfulness Practices

Listen to three guided practices to get an introduction of how to practice mindfulness through breathing, body scan, and walking.

Mindful Walking

(Click the red play button above)

Mindful walking cultivates awareness of your body while in motion and it’s something you can practice throughout the day. It can help increase your energy level if you are tired or restless and also add variety if you’re doing longer periods of seated practice.

Body Scan

(Click the red play button above)

The body scan is a simple, structured way of bringing consciousness to different parts of body. The body scan can be very useful as a grounding mechanism when facing strong emotions, or if you’re having trouble stabilizing awareness on the breath or body.

Mindful Breathing

(Click the red play button above)

Awareness of the breath is one of the foundational exercises for learning mindfulness meditation. It’s a popular starting point because the breath is something you can always access. It serves as a valuable anchor for other mindfulness practices.

Next:

Explore all of these techniques and learn the neuroscience behind mindfulness practice in our Mindfulness Fundamentals course for educators. The training expands on topics such as emotions and interpersonal mindfulness and supports you to cultivate a regular practice. Join our upcoming session.

Why is Mindfulness Fundamentals required before taking the Mindful Educator Essentials course? Because before you formally teach mindfulness to students – your own self-care, self-awareness, and personal mindfulness practice serves as an essential model for your students. Learn more about Our Approach.

Share Presentations on Mindfulness in Education

Mindful Schools community members frequently request examples of how we explain mindfulness to parents, administrators, and other educators. Here are a few presentations and interviews from our archives.

Conference Presentation

Mindful Schools Trainer Megan Cowan speaks at the Practicing Mindfulness & Compassion Conference about how mindfulness programs make schools more compassionate places. Co-hosted by our partners at The Greater Good Science Center and Mindful magazine.

PTA Presentation

Mindful Schools Trainer Megan Cowan speaks to a large PTA audience. An excellent example of a presentation that explains what school-based mindfulness programs are to parents.

Google Talk

This mindful parenting Google Talk by Mindful Schools Trainer Chris McKenna includes neuroscience and practical techniques and strategies. (1 hr)

Presentation by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness pioneer Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn describes his vision for mindfulness in education at a benefit for Mindful Schools at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, 2012. (1 hr 40 min)

Reading List

Adult Mindfulness Books

Full Catastrophe Living

Jon Kabat-Zinn

A classic of modern mindfulness & a comprehensive overview of stress management.

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

Bob Stahl & Elisha Goldstein

Great for people who have some mindfulness experience and are looking for practice aids.

Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

Rick Hanson

Discusses mindfulness in the context of positive psychology with friendly neuroscience.

Altered Traits

Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson

A thorough survey of the latest mindfulness research told in a captivating story by two of the field’s founders.

Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness

David Treleavin

This important book provides essential frameworks and tools on bringing a trauma-sensitive lens to  sharing mindfulness practices with kids or adults.

Say What You Mean

Oren Jay Sofer

A practical, step-by-step guide to more meaningful conversations that integrates mindfulness practice and Nonviolent Communication.

Mindfulness in Education

Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom

Patricia Jennings

If you’re a classroom teacher trying to get oriented to mindfulness, read this first.

Building Emotional Intelligence

Linda Lantieri

Puts mindfulness in the broader context of social and emotional learning and resilience.

A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents

Sam Himelstein

The book to read if you are working with adolescents with trauma.

Mindful Parenting

The Mindful Child

Susan Kaiser Greenland

One of the first mindfulness & youth books written and still a classic.

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

Daniel J. Siegel

Lots of tips and fun exercises here plus digestible neurobiology.

Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain

Daniel J. Siegel

Great book to read with teenagers. Understand and work with the biological changes of the teen years.

Teaching Mindfulness to Youth

The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time

Dzung Vo

Primer for teens on working with stress, anxiety and the ups and downs of life through practice.

Visiting Feelings

Lauren Rubenstein

Good book on teaching children to have a sensory relationship with their emotions.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

Carol McCloud

Focused on heartfulness. Encourages children to see how very easy it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love.

Get Started

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