Video Playlist: Teaching Mindfulness Through the Arts
published 3/17/19; updated 7/17/22
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
Continuing the popular series of Video Playlists for Teachers and Teacher Trainers, here are a variety of perspectives on mindfulness in the visual arts, theater and storytelling, music and dance.
Teachers, please note: With such a multicultural audience teaching young children through adults, I can’t guarantee that all of the videos will be appropriate for your particular context. I’ve put brief descriptions to help you choose, but please preview anything you plan to share with your students.
Mindfulness and the Visual Arts
Artist Malcolm Dewey explains how we can quiet our minds and break out of habitual thought patterns through a non-judgmental, practice-focused type of painting.
Chilean painter Fusa Deyas creates street art with a deeper message.
5-Minute Mindful Photography Tutorial
Taking multiple photos of the same ordinary object can be a great way to learn to pay attention.
Stick Art Mindfulness Activity for Kids
Donna Freeman of Yoga in My School explains a silent activity for small groups, using bendable sticks.
Sherelle from The Owl and the Coconut shares what she learned doing 30 Days of Mindful Art.
Mindfulness in Theater and Storytelling
Mindfulness Poet explains how the act of telling and listening to stories puts us in a state of attention and awareness.
Sue McMurray of Educational Design Services explains how improvisational sketches can be used to teach kids about their emotions.
Andrew Jordan Nance of Mindful Arts San Francisco demonstrates an improvisational theater game.
Andrew Jordan Nance of Mindful Arts San Francisco demonstrates another improvisational theater game.
Mindfulness in Music and Dance
Dance/Movement Therapy and Mindfulness
Therapist Annabelle Coote helped a client use mindfulness of her thoughts, feelings, and body to recognize how much she was limiting herself by what she "should, must, ought to" do rather than recognizing what she really wanted and needed.
Conscious Dance/ Dance Meditation
Yoga teacher Sophie Bolton helps parents and children connect with each other through mindful movement.
Mindfulness Meditation for Musicians
Ze Wen Seah of of Liberty Park Music explains how guitarists and other musicians can benefit from mindfulness, and leads a five-minute meditation.
Composer Chuck Marohnic of Music Serving the Word Ministries reminds musicians about the need to constantly work on the skill of listening, starting with a single note.
Paying attention can save lives. These Baltimore students created a music video to teach kids to put down their phones and look where they're going.
Related Posts
There are many more video playlists and resources on mindfulness in the visual and performing arts here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts: