Resource

Mindfulness Curriculum from California School for the Blind

This curriculum includes guided meditations, creating a calming space, and learning about mindfulness for students with visual impairments.

Adrian Amandi, Director of the Education Resource Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired at California School for the Blind (CSB-CDE) presents their Mindfulness Curriculum, released in July 2020, complete with guided interactions and step-by-step lessons to explore mindfulness with students who are blind or visually impaired. Different from most curricula available, CSB developed their Mindfulness program to focus on students’ sensory experiences. Activities for a small group of five to six students can be modified for a smaller or bigger group depending on the circumstances.

Sample this lesson, “Engaging the Senses Intentionally”:

  •  “That’s what our group is all about: Paying attention to what is happening right now. Sometimes, we’re so busy and distracted that we’re thinking about something that happened before, or something that will happen next. Mindfulness helps us notice what is happening right now. Let’s try some more things to help us pay attention to what we’re feeling now.”
  • Distribute essential oils to rub on wrists (present two options and allow students to smell both and choose which they’d like to use. Encourage them to rub their wrists together to activate the smell. Can the student’s describe the smell or what it reminds them of? Do they feel their skin getting warmer when they rub them together? Does the smell get stronger?
  • Listening to singing bowls. If you do not have a singing bowl available, search youtube for a recording of singing bowls in 1 minute increments. Ask the students to raise their hands when they stop hearing the sound. Do this three times total.
  • Distribute flavored water. Ask the students to describe the sensations, for example, the flavor, the temperature, the moistness.
  • If students express feelings/judgments about sensations, validate simply but try to end conversation (e.g., student says, I don’t like the way the water tastes, you say, I understand that you don’t like how the water tastes. That’s ok. You don’t need to drink any more.)

The curriculum includes guided meditations, creating a calming space, and learning about mindfulness. Feel free to adapt to make it work best for you and your students. If you come up with extra elements that are fantastic please share back so we can update our own practices.

Table of Contents

  • Lesson 1:  Paying Attention to What’s Happening Now
  • Lesson 2:  Paying Attention to the Body
  • Lesson 3:  The Calming Den Inside Us
  • Lesson 4:  The Calming Voice and the Negative Voice
  • Lesson 5:  Learning to Listen to the Calming Voice
  • Lesson 6:  Take the Calming Den with You
  • Lesson 7:  Introducing the Classroom Calming Den
  • Lesson 8:  Maintaining the Calming Den

 

For More Information

Collage of mindfulness curriculum