“I can’t close my eyes, it makes me freak out.” Have you had students that are fearful of closing their eyes while practicing mindfulness? It’s pretty common. Read on to discover a quick and easy solution. During the last few months of the 22-23 school year we started working with several new districts. Since it was the end of the school year, our Zensational team worked directly with students in their classrooms, leading them in practices from our Educate 2B and Everyday Mindfulness curriculum. Typically, before we begin working with students in the classroom, we lead a professional developm ..read more

It’s August I am already feeling the pull of responsibilities that come at the beginning of every school year. Creating a safe space for students is always high on the priority list in every school I have worked with over the past 30 years. I already received the email about my required “trainings” for: Blood Born Pathogen Exposure Prevention Bullying: Recognition and Response Health Emergencies: Asthma Awareness Have you received your list of trainings yet? Maybe yours contain items such as: Active- shooter protocols Emergency safety procedures Violent-emergency preparedness Crisis prevent ..read more

As educators, we know that testing can be a stressful experience for our students. However, did you know that the way a student’s nervous system is regulated can have a significant impact on their ability to stay focused and calm during testing, as well as their ability to access the thinking part of their brain, the prefrontal cortex? So, what does it mean to have a regulated nervous system? It means that a student is in a state of physiological balance where they are not too alert or too relaxed. This state allows them to respond appropriately to the demands of the situation without being ov ..read more

There are two questions that pop into my mind: The first is: Is this the result of COVID? Trauma? I have been working in schools for more than 30 years, and I know that issues of disruption, aggression, non-compliance, defiance, etc. were on the rise well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. And, the truth is, students affected by trauma have always been in our classrooms; we are just now beginning to understand more about how trauma effects brain and body function. The second question that comes to mind is: If the “typical strategies” of checklists, behavior charts, and other punishment/reward ..read more

“Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” —Mark Twain, American author (1835–1910) I hope today (and everyday) you find new and creative ways to express the compassion and kindness that is within you. When you take a moment or two each day to reconnect to your true essence of goodness, it is so much easier to see the places it exists outside of you. In the people you interact with and in all of the environments that you find yourself in each day.  As this quote reminds us, kindness does not need words to be heard or actions to be seen. It can transcend and tr ..read more

It feels appropriate to dedicate this month’s blog to the topic of love. However, this is not a blog about Valentine’s Day traditions of date nights, chocolate hearts and mushy cards. Today, I want to dive into the actual emotion of love as a daily experience, explore how it is sensed within us, and inquire how an internal state of love can not only improve our health and well-being but, more profoundly, shape and transform our life.  Ok, this is a tall order, so bear with me. There has been a lot of research investigating the role love has on improving our life, from reducing stress, im ..read more

I don’t know about you, but I love a clean floor. My family actually makes fun of me. But I don’t care. I love walking barefooted in my house and not feeling pieces of dirt, foot, dust, etc. stick to the bottom of my feet. So that you know I am not totally crazy, I do live one mile from a beach, so sand is an issue. Not to worry – I’m on top of it. Due to my obsession, my family was not at all surprised by my excitement when my husband came home with a Dyson cordless V8 animal vacuum cleaner (by the way, we don’t own any animals). This past week, a full charge has only lasted a minute or two ..read more

The holidays are often a time for excessive parties and social gatherings. I remember as a child how overwhelming it was to be around so many people at one time, even if they were family. I come from a big extended family that always expected strong hugs, kisses, and time around the dining room table talking with relatives (some who were part of my daily life, and others who we only saw a few times each year). I had a love/hate relationship with the holidays because of my introverted nature. (I am just really good at pretending to be an extrovert. How about you?) I always like to lead with my ..read more

Have you struggled to get BUY-IN from your older students????? Today, we’re sharing The Zensational Kids’ method of gaining students’ interest, trust, and desire to try mindfulness. If you have been following the research and science of mindfulness in the classroom over the past decade, you know that mindfulness offers many positive outcomes related to academic achievement, emotional intelligence, building authentic relationships, and developing a positive/growth mindset. One of the greatest obstacles educators report is “finding the time.” So many educators feel overwhelmed and overburdened ..read more

“If they could just pay attention…” How many times a day have you caught yourself saying or thinking this statement?? And what improvement would you see in your students and in your classroom if they were able to hone their attention towards what was important in the moment (like your lessons)? As Daniel Goldman writes in his book by the same title, “Focus is the hidden driver of excellence.” This can be excellence in absolutely everything and anything. However, as an educator, I am sure you are most invested in academic excellence.  As we are seeing increased mental health issues throug ..read more