Make mindfulness a daily habit

The benefits of mindfulness come from repetition. Here are some best practices to make it stick.

Pick a consistent time

For Early Learning through Elementary: we recommend the start of the day, before the first lesson.

For Middle School through High School: second period usually works better, since more students are present than in first period.

Anchoring it to a moment that already repeats means it stops being something you have to remember.

Regulate, then educate. When a student’s nervous system is on high alert, focus, memory, and self control are harder to reach, no matter how good the lesson is. Students get more from instruction when they have had a chance to settle first. The order matters.

Build a simple routine

Predictability is part of what makes the practice calming. Students settle faster when they already know exactly what is coming, and the less you change, the less you have to manage.

Follow the Daily Practice in order

The Daily Practice is designed to be followed in order, building skills gradually over days and weeks. Going in order removes the daily decision of what to play, which is one less thing to manage.

Use the rest of the library as the day calls for it

Add a practice before a test, between subjects, or at the end of the day. Transition practices run one to four minutes for exactly that, and the sound practices settle a room without a spoken guide. There will be days when you need more than just the daily practice to settle the room. Use the shorter practices to get back on track quicker.

Opt into the 21 Day Quest

Opt into the 21 Day Quest on Day 1. The Quest tracks your class’s practice with banners and badges, and finishes with a certificate of completion. Make finishing it a celebration: hand out the certificate and name the milestone out loud. To opt in, click the start quest button in the top right of the navigation bar.