Teachers who have made it through the first month or so of teaching are maybe by now overwhelmed, tired and for some, ready for a vacation week. Perhaps the Monday mindset is already, “I can’t wait for Friday.” To keep teachers inspired and motivated, here are five easy lessons in mindfulness.

Yoga teaches the science of the breath (prana). Taking a slow deep breath not only helps to calm ourselves physically, but also, mentally. Deep and slow nasal breaths activate our brain’s parasympathetic system to help the body to relax, which in turn helps our mind slow its thoughts down, creating more focused attention.

Students, parents, the administration and even colleagues can sometimes take their toll on teachers. During stressful times, teachers might break down and react from a negative and destructive place. Complaining, arguing and losing hope or venting in the teachers’ lounges can, on occasion, provide some temporary relief. However, to consistently harbor such negative feelings can be detrimental and at the expense of one’s health and well-being.

Teaching from the heart is a quality of self-love. Exploring the qualities of our heart takes courage and honest self-evaluation. It is an open dialogue around our beliefs, the beliefs of other teachers, and especially those of many different students. Be mindful of the way disappointment is expressed to an unruly group of students. Question the cause for harsh reactions; could it have been the lousy morning drive in that triggered an impatient response?

Learning to be mindful is also a practice in mindful loving. It will not solve all the problems in our schools, but more love in our schools brought about by genuinely mindful people cannot hurt. Mindful teachers learn to love more and look for opportunities to praise effort. They replace negative self-talk, victimization and stressful multitasking with a cultivation of more love. This requires some level of vulnerability and changing the inner voice that says, “I am separate from everyone else.”

With awareness comes the realization that words and thoughts can hurt, but they also can heal. What we say out loud and what we think, both have an effect on our minds and bodies, and it has its way of coming back to us. How worthy do we feel about our profession, to our family, school, or community? It may depend on the thoughts and words that are used every day with colleagues, family and students.

Reading a positive sentence, excepting feelings without judgement and saying positive affirmations out loud provides a more mindful approach to daily self-listening and attention.

Here are a few positive affirmations to get started with: