Calm Classroom

In the first 5 min of class I lead 1-3 min of focus and breathwork. A “balanced breath” is the foundational practice for my students. My students report very positive feedback every year. Students find assessments especially stressful as well as other activities in school. ​

Oxygenating your brain results in positive decision making and calm collaborative communication. In addition to breathwork I have a Google Classroom with a weekly question for reflection and response.

​Here are my first 4 weeks of reflection questions:

Week1	Week2 ​	Week3	Week4
Balanced Breath- before starting count your breaths in 30 seconds and multiply by 2 to estimate your breaths per minute.	Setting intentions While continuing to practice a balanced slow breath, set one intention.  ​	Sensory Reset While breathing a balanced slow breath. You can do this any time with one to five senses.	Extend your balanced breath. Stay at extended points for 2 min and build up your breath practice.
​5 sec inhale 5 sec exhale 6 breaths per min	Examples:  To practice a balanced breath twice a day for one min. To focus in class without distractions. To write down my goals. To write in a personal journal once a week. To do a small act of kindness daily for someone else. To give my self compassion as I try my best in school. To get 8 hours of sleep a night.	See- Name 3 things you can see now or in an imagined location. Hear- Name 3 things you can hear now or in an imagined location. Smell- Name 3 things you can smell now or in an imagined location. Taste- Name 3 things you can taste now or in an imagined location. Touch- Name 3 things you can hear touch or in an imagined location.	From 5 sec to 6 breaths per min 6 sec 7 sec ~5 breaths per min 8 sec ~4 breaths per min 9 sec 10 sec - 3 breaths per min 15 sec max- 2 breaths per min (this takes months of practice to get to this level)
Increase oxygen in your brain to increase focus and decrease anxiety in 60 sec any time. Discuss what you have learned and felt from adding a balanced breath practice to your day.	We remove resistance by allowing our own readiness to be with our intention. You are what you are seeking, you achieve what you focus on. ​	Reduces stress and drops you into your body.	How did you try this practice? It is a great one to try when going to sleep. DIscus the results or how you feel doing the extended balanced breathing.

Calm classroom initiative is supported by the Pembroke school district where I teach. Research based curricula is important to me. I have been using breath techniques since I started teaching in 2006. I have called breathing techniques ‘ratio breathing’ since I teach math and am a math teacher. long before confirmed by the Calm Classroom initiative. Computer science is a math elective. Calm classroom curriculum is helpful in providing PD so that teachers can use these SEL- social emotional learning techniques across districts that are helpful to students.
https://calmclassroom.com/