AISD Teacher of the Year James Butler practicing mindful breathing with his students (Credit: Stephanie Friedman)

The mindfulness movement has made its way into our daily lives, yet some still don’t completely understand what mindfulness really is, or how it can benefit them and their communities.

Mindfulness is the purposeful attention on the present moment—the awareness of your thoughts and actions—and accepting these thoughts without judgement. Studies have proven that mindfulness, in both adults and children, improves both mental and physical health. So why aren’t we all practicing mindfulness everyday? Perhaps it’s the lack of understanding and/or training.

James Butler, Austin Independent School District Teacher of the Year and Pre-K teacher at Gullett Elementary School, is determined to change this. He’s bringing mindfulness into Austin classrooms with his Mindful Classrooms Curriculum. I spoke with Butler about his program and the importance of bringing mindfulness to Austin. [Read more…]