- We're gonna start with the bell.
Here we go.
Let's see what we hear after the bell.
? ?
Attention really is a foundational skill,
and requires a lot of rehearsal,
a lot of practice,
and you can imagine
how stability of attention could be beneficial
for kids in school environments.
[rings bell]
- Lisa: So, the bell practice is
the way we start almost every kindness curriculum lesson.
- Lori: It's really good to start
with an external sensory experience,
so sound,
and then, bring it inside.
This is paying attention.
This is mindfulness here.
[rings bell]
- Lisa: What we usually ask kids to do
is sit with their hands up
as soon as they start to hear the sound.
And once they are
no longer hearing the sound in the room,
then they bring their hand down
and put it just right on their belly
and feel their belly moving with the breath.
- Lori: The simple act of paying attention to the breath
can help calm the whole nervous system.
And we call it an anchor for the attention,
and it's always here.
- Marci: When you get your belly buddy,
get cozy on your back.
- Lisa: Belly Buddies is a sweet practice
that gives kids a chance to pay attention
to their whole body,
and maybe bring about a moment or two
of relaxation.
Once their body is in a still position,
we bring a belly buddy to them
and allow the weight to help enhance
that sensation of the abdomen expanding and contracting
with their breath.
- Notice 'How does it feel on the outside?'
and 'How does it feel on the inside?'
and 'Can we make a connection?'
And that can lead to when we jump to emotion.
So, if I'm feeling angry, 'How does anger feel?'
'How does sadness feel?'
So, they have a sense of what's happening
inside of them.
And then they're able to see
what's happening outside of them.
Flying up, breathe in. [inhales audibly]
You can even use your imagination
of where you're going to fly to. [exhales slowly]
- Lori: The animal movements.
It's a lot of fun.
It allows children to be
more aware of their bodies.
We're using the animals for movement practice
which is getting them to move their bodies
which helps them to engage with their breathing
which helps them to feel sensation in the body
and again, anchor themselves in the present moment.
I've found it's helpful to have, like, a little visual
of each animal that you're introducing.
Then, I would ask students to
do a few repetitions of the movements
so they can feel their body moving.
And maybe ask, 'What did you notice
when you were flying like an eagle?'
or 'What did you notice
when you were slithering like a snake?'
and, you know, bringing in that curiosity again.
- Lori: It's so often easy to start thinking about
so many other things
or getting really distracted
and then, slowly, with these other practices
we can learn to just bring the attention
back to what's happening right here.