Students use a variety of media and tools to transform their line drawings.

Taylor Runyan

By now, we have all probably heard about mindfulness and its benefits. But what exactly is mindfulness, and how do we incorporate it into our classrooms in a sustainable way? I hope this article encourages you to begin exploring mindfulness with your students.

A Need for Being Present
The essence of mindfulness can be summarized with the simple phrase, “Paying attention with kindness.”

I think mindfulness is often thought of as something that only certain people can do. This is a misconception. Anyone can practice mindfulness in any place and at any time, including your students. Mindfulness is simply noticing and staying in the present moment—itʼs a frame of mind.

Many of our students experience issues like depression and anxiety. I wanted to find a way to help them with these issues, so I decided to bring mindfulness practices into my classroom. 

Mindfulness in Action
Let’s get into what mindfulness looks like in the classroom and how you can integrate it into mindful art-making.

Mindfulness in my classroom means taking time at the beginning of every class to pause. We slow down and take a few deep breaths or we stretch or go for a short walk. It really doesn’t need to be complicated—just a time to take some deep breaths and tune into our bodies.

Mindful art-making is about focusing on the present moment of creating and not putting so much weight on what the final product will look like.

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