Teachers in Pembrokeshire have been learning how to tackle stress and connect better with their students through an eight week mindfulness course.

For the first time in west Wales the NUT has sponsored a mindfulness course for teachers led by mindfulness teacher Elizabeth Daniels and organised through the Healthy Schools Scheme.

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment.

It also involves acceptance; paying attention to thoughts and feelings without judging them and tuning into the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.

Research by the NUT indicates that teaching is currently the second most stressful profession. The eight week course aims to increase stress resilience and wellbeing for teaching staff.

It is hoped the training will also promote pupil performance and improve relationships between teachers and pupils; according to research teachers that learn mindfulness also report better teacher pupil relationships and outcomes in the classroom.

Feedback from Pembrokeshire teachers has been overwhelmingly positive with participants reporting a reduction in stress-related problems such as headaches.

"This course has been a life saver," reported one teacher. "I hadn't realised how near to burn out I'd been."

Graduates of the course can then train to deliver a primary or secondary curriculum to their pupils, developed by The Mindfulness in Schools Project.

Research indicates that mental health issues are affecting children at an increasingly young age, with the World Health Organisation stating that mental health will be the biggest cause of burden out of all health conditions by 2030.

Mindfulness tutor Elizabeth Daniels said:

"This will be a significant step towards more schools integrating mindfulness into their daily lives for the benefit of teachers and pupils alike."

For details of mindfulness courses visit www.mindfulnessinschools.org or contact Elizabeth Daniels elizabeth@mindfulwales.org

Pembrokeshire schools interested in mindfulness training courses should contact Liz.Western@wales.nhs.uk