Mindfulness techniques helpful for students and educators

wenty-five NYSUT members from across the state attended a six-day RISE mindfulness train-the-trainer session at NYSUT headquarters in July. Led by Kripalu trainer Sam Chase, RISE is Kripalu’s evidence-based approach to stress management. The program teaches practitioners how to achieve greater clarity and resilience, improved situational awareness and better decision making and work/life balance through mindfulness techniques.

“This is part of our commitment to our members’ overall well-being,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person, explaining that professional burnout due to work stress is one of many factors contributing to the state’s ongoing teacher shortage. Although the union strives to improve workplace conditions for members, there are many aspects that can’t be fixed immediately, she continued. “We want to give our members some tools they can use in their work and personal lives to help them better navigate that stress.”

For the past 10 years, Kripalu’s RISE program has taught mindfulness and stress-reduction strategies to individuals in a variety of professions, including healthcare, education, law enforcement and corrections. The program teaches how to use “The 3c’s” to stay centered: Calm, using yogic breathing to manage stress; Clarity, working with the mind to focus attention and practice meditation; and Connection, using the heart to maintain a positive mindset. One of the benefits of RISE is its accessibility, said Person, explaining that the program focuses on chair-based stretches and breathing and meditation practices rather than intensive yoga work.

Once trained in RISE techniques, the goal is for participants to share the mindfulness practices with district and local colleagues and with their students. Massapequa Federation of Teachers President Malcolm Gilbert, a ninth-grade choir teacher, hopes to offer RISE as professional development to his peers and to incorporate brief mindfulness moments into his classroom.

“Everyone can benefit from this,” he said. “Although the program is a big professional development investment, it’s worth it. Calm, centered teachers create calm, centered students and that benefits the entire educational process.”

Although the July train-the-trainer session is a first for NYSUT, it won’t be the last, said Person. “It’s a soft launch, but we hope that all of these members will leave with the ability to start training within their region, online or in their own buildings,” she said. “We don’t know the exact shape that NYSUT’s RISE program will take yet, but it’s coming.”

To learn more about the RISE program, visit Kripalu.org/rise-resources.