TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - No desks, but yoga mats. And not to mention the music. The Mindfulness Classroom is like no other at Robinson Middle School.
The settings of the classroom are all intentional to create a space to nurture young students' ability to learn mindfulness through the practice of yoga.
"The most delightful thing to see is a student who starts out and says I feel mad and after doing some of the exercises reports that they feel peaceful and ready to learn," said Jenn McCullough the yoga and meditation instructor.
One of the mindfulness exercises, during the 30-minute class, is the mindful minute. That is where students sit tall, hold their hands in their lap and focus their attention on their breathing and the candle in the center of the room.
"The like breathing made me feel comfortable looking at the candle," said Finnian Henson a kindergartner at Robinson.
For Fin and his friend Devin, these exercises help them feel less angry, but the exercises are kind of weird too since they required so much focus.
"Weird when I was looking at the candle. Yeah, it was hard," said Devin Saunders, another kindergartner at Robinson.
Fin said he tries to use the mindful minute when his little sister gets on his nerves.
"When I'm like getting angry at my little sister. She always steals my stuff," explained Fin.
McCullough said teaching kids how to feel and express their emotions is part of being mindful. The staff at Robinson have noticed the changes in the students.
"Our teachers also pair with the students and they take it back to the class room where students are able to use this tools if their having a difficult day or if they need to focus on a test or focus on homework," said Dr. James Jones the principal at Robinson Middle School.
Principal Jones said every student at Robinson will be a part of the Mindfulness Class at some point during the year.
