PAUSE for PEACE: A Powerful Practice for our School Communities
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Over the past three years, Copper Beech Institute has been honored to work with many school districts and educators who believe in the power of mindfulness to shift the state of education today. Copper Beech mindfulness teacher, educator, and therapist, Joanna Curry-Satori, reflects on the role that mindfulness can play in education.
As we look at our world and the year ahead, we may be wondering "How do we nurture peace? What role can we play as educators to support our students and community to live with greater peace? "
From daily stressors to extreme challenges to escalating conflict… whether on a global scale, in our local communities, or in our schools and homes, we long for peace. And as we look at our students, we envision them as our future leaders, and yet, we see them struggle every day to be at peace with themselves, to resolve minor disagreements, and face school responsibilities.
When we practice pausing with our students, we are developing their “muscle” to shift into their best Self. In this way, in each interaction, we are cultivating their capacity to connect, collaborate and contribute to uplifting the moment. This creates peace.
How does this happen? When students are faced with conflict, challenges, changes or crises they often automatically and instinctively shift into a different frame of mind - a protective mindset, a “fight, flight, freeze” physiological response.
When this happens, what parts of them do we see? Students may:
be fearful, concerned for their own safety, image, or reputation.
defend their position and argue back.
identify with their people/clan and focus on differences, not commonality.
try to prove they are good, deny mistakes, or blame others.
refuse to engage, shut down, and disconnect.
be "off-line" for learning, problem-solving or conflict resolution.
Pause. If students take a simple pause, they have the power to:
Calm down and create breathing space before acting.
Build awareness of the warning signals when they are stressed.
Regulate their nervous system and gain perspective on their options.
Regain their innate capacity to connect with compassion.
Collaborate and contribute in a beneficial way
Focus and engage effectively in the learning environment.
As we practice PAUSE in our schools, we gradually build our shared capacity to be resilient and we reinforce our “wiring” to lead peaceful, productive, purposeful lives. As we show up as our whole Selves, together we can and we do nurture a more peaceful world.
