Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness in and out of the Classroom

by Meena Srinivasan

In Teach, Breathe, Learn , Meena Srinivasan highlights how mindfulness can be an effective tool in the classroom. What makes this book truly unique is her perspective as a classroom teacher, wrestling daily with the conditions about which she writes.

"Teach, Breathe, Learn provides accessible, practical application of mindfulness to overcome challenges faced during the school day." Testimonials from students and colleagues are woven throughout the book. Teach, Breathe, Learn is designed for educators at all levels, parents interested in sharing mindfulness with their children, and anyone curious about how to cultivate their own mindfulness practice and eventually teach mindfulness to others.

Part 1 helps teachers develop compassion and shift from "reacting" to "responding" to demands.

Part 2 offers techniques for cultivating loving-kindness, gratitude and seeing students, colleagues, and parents as oneself.

The last section of the book introduces a curriculum teachers can use to incorporate mindfulness into their classroom, replete with lesson plans, handouts, and homework assignments.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2014

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the 2nd of two books I read for a mindfulness in education class that I'm taking. There's GREAT stuff in here and it will be wonderful resource as I continue to build new teaching habits to bring mindfulness into MY classroom. Some of the articulation of the ideas however, was a bit too existential for my practical Midwestern sensibilities so I couldn't help but rolling my eyes at the author's writing and idealistic presentation. (Holding the start of one's class to have a lengthy sitdown with two feuding students because you have an aid on hand to supervise? And who even calls them aids anymore?!)
Cynicism aside, a solid starter resource for starting a mindfulness practice, but not one I would share with a skeptic.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a terrific resource for any teacher considering learning more about how to integrate this important skill into their practice. Srinivasan provides both powerful stories and excellent resources to help any teacher get started. As a technology leader I found the chapter on mindfulness and technology extremely helpful.

[Anthony Conty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Conty
1 min ·
In honor of #NationalBookLoversDay, I finished a selection for our summer book study. As someone who sought meditation before as a source of inner-calm, I really looked forward to learning about teaching mindfulness.

Mindfulness refers to the act of being present in the present without distractions from the past or future. This helps those who fail to forgive themselves for mistakes and obsess over the uncertainty that lies ahead. It works wonders for those crippled with anxiety and/or depression.

What makes "Teach Breathe Learn" original is its lessons on how to teach this skill to others. My favorite part is when the author presents a conflict to students and asks them how to solve it. She then leads some mindful breathing activities and then presents the same query again, marveling at their increased insight.

One of favorite coworkers of the past had a Masters in Conflict Resolution and I scoffed at her statements that the same techniques in a middle school apply to the world as a whole. Forgive me, Bethany. It makes a heck of a lot more sense now.

The biggest sin in Internet posting is making something unnecessarily political, but seeing what is going on in the world makes you think about these skills. Would we take the same course of action if we took a few breaths first? It is worth pondering. This book is niche, aimed at educators but beneficial for all. I recommend it to any stakeholder in our youth's education.

[Phil Overeem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up some nice tips, but, unsurprisingly, this successful breather got the hell out of teaching as soon as she could. Those who are loudest and gesticulate the most furiously, who demand you buy in, quickly are doing so outside of the trenches. Believe this 30+-year vet: you can spot those that don't have the iron to do the job over the long haul a MILE away.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me about a year to finally finish this book because I got frustrated with some of the author’s stories and the book’s far narrower-than-anticipated focus. I thought this was a book about mindfulness in *teaching*, but it’s a book about mindfulness in *teaching mindfulness*, so neither I nor most any teacher who doesn’t have the luxury of a class where the content is mindfulness have anything close to the time required to implement the ideas offered here with our students. Still, some valuable anecdotes and scraps of knowledge are threaded throughout, and I did find the first chapter helpful in thinking about bringing mindfulness to teaching in general.

[Poonam Dubal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Meena speak at Momentous Institute's Changing the Odds Conference this past October. She is a Program Manager for Oakland Unified School District's Social Emotional Learning and Leadership Department, and she is a huge proponent of mindfulness; she is a woman after my own heart in many ways! Her book was a quick and easy read on her history with mindfulness, her call to bring mindfulness into her work as an educator, and the impact this trajectory has had on her life and hte lives of students and colleagues. She also embeds small mindfulness practices throughout, embracing the Tibetan practice of meditation combined with mantras. A lovely book, and a lovey person!

[Thom Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably give this 3.5 stars if I could. Some excellent nuggets in there in how she frames the purpose and practice of mindfulness (coming from an educator has been practicing mindful breathing exercises with students for years). She got a little woohoo for me ("Breath in - I am a flower, breathe out - I am fresh") and in an effort to make chapters serve as a lesson plan all surrounding one big idea, they got very repetitive with repeating the main idea and classroom procedures with starting class.

[jmphoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book. Especially all the meditation prompts and exercises, i loved how everything referenced back to a lot of Thich Nhat Hanh and how each lesson plan felt very genuine and wholesome. Will be using some of these in my lead-teaching meditations and looking forward to reading some of the references mentioned in the book! Definitely a perspective opener on how to live and embody meditation and how it can help sculpt your life.

[Pernia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teacher, I find my peace in the summer when I let go of everything and always feel calm. The question I had was how could I keep my peace throughout the year. This book is an affirming step toward a practice of mindfulness.

The book is divided into three sections: Practicing Mindfulness, Sharing Mindfulness, and Mindfulness As A Learned Skill - curriculum for teachers.

I think I will need to now read some books by Thich Nhat Hanh - someone she quotes extensively in this book.

[Kenley Neufeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid guide for educators of young children for teaching mindfulness in the classroom. Rooted in the Plum Village tradition, as taught by Thich Nhat Hanh, we are offered secular practices with lesson plans, handouts, and homework. If you are an elementary or middle school teacher, you should check out this book. Other educators may find pieces to incorporate as appropriate.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish, but this book helped me revitalize for the next school year and gave me a focus to help my students.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much wisdom in this book!

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful book for everyone, not just educators

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindfulness should be mandatory for implementing behavioral management issues in the classroom.

[Katherine Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book managed to be informational and very soothing at the same time.

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was absolutely unbearable. Good message, but it gets lost between the author’s repetitive thoughts and pompous attitude.

[Katie Laugen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for teachers who want to bring a more productive and happy mindset to their career. I'll post a full review on my blog!

[Mia Revak (Fikaris) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the philosophy, but expected the book to be better and give me better tools for the classroom. I did however learn good tools for myself.

[Elise Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intended for elementary school teachers but I got some ideas for how to incorporate mindfulness into the college classroom (the concept of inter-being would be great to introduce in a number of contexts, and inviting the bell could be a good way to start class). The early chapters are designed to help teachers become more mindful themselves, with ideas about how to incorporate self-care into the teacher's daily routine, before class, during bathroom breaks, and during planning periods.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciate the connections to SEL and health ed standards. I personally recommend participating in an in-person instruction on building a personal mindfulness practice and then reading books likes these. I'm a hands-on, visual learner and needed that connection to place mindfulness and all its sometimes abstract concepts into a concrete context. Her reflections on a personal practice of mindfulness and applications in the classroom are really helpful and I'm looking forward to applying what I've learned in my personal practice and with my students.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the ideas in this book, for the most part. I could think of many students who would benefit from the practices the author discusses. I love the philosophy of Thich Nhat Hanh and she refers to his practices and ideas a lot. For me, it was good to read something that had actual steps and lessons for working with a class. For a classroom teacher who wants to practice mindfulness, this book is a gem. I also have several books to add to my "want-to-read" list. :)

[Shannon D'Arpino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am happy to read books that encourage the use of Mindfulness in schools. Our children are pressured through so many outlets, school, sports, over scheduling and parent disengagement. I appreciate Meena's outlook and truth to her own experience with Mindfulness. I highly recommend this book to Teachers that would like to encourage excellence in their classroom and personal lives.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was offered as a summer faculty reading at my school. I thought the ideas, practices and resources were interesting, both personally and professionally. I can see myself incorporating these ideas into my upcoming school year.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindfulness while learning is an important skill set we can teach. Optimistic and more oriented towards K-8 the UbD lessons and ideas included are valuable tools for educators of all ages.

[Sharolyn Stauffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love some of the practices shared in this book. When teaching gets overwhelming, these have already proven useful. I even bought a bell to invite each day.

[Stephanie Biese · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lessons are too long to actually implement as is.....but easy to break down. Excited to dabble with this throughout the school year.

[Jonathan Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful mindfulness book. I am currently teaching the 8 lessons to my 5th grade students. A good companion to the MindUp curriculum.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book to understand mindfulness as a teacher. The author really spoke to teaching children of age 10 and above in this book.

[Jean Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindfulness in the classroom is the best thing ever! I learned quite a few tips to keep my momentum. I love the connections between SEL and mindfulness. Both are vital to educating the whole child.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and was able to take many of the ideas to use in my personal life. I look forward to implementing simpler form of these ideas with my students.