Benefits of Calmness: mindfulness and other calming practices for you

I: Breathing

Changing the rhythm of your breath can signal relaxation, slowing your heart rate, reducing stress, and stimulating the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve runs from the brain stem to the abdomen, and is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” activities - in contrast to the sympathetic nervous system. Research: Why Breathing Is So Effective

II: Self-compassion

The concept of self-compassion can help us face our shortcomings constructively and gently, just as we would comfort a friend in a similar situation.

Fierce self-compassion is a concept developed by American professor Kristin Neff. Read more about Neff here. Learn more about the concept of fierce self-compassion by reading psychologist Merita Petäjä's blog post and/or listen to this episode of The Best Thing Today psychology podcast series, where Aalto University psychologist Paula Sjöblom interviews Merita on the topic.

Read more in Aaltogether: Keys to Your Wellbeing: Self-Compassion.

III: Presence and embodiment

A review of ten quantitative studies documented mindfulness-based intervention outcomes in reducing teachers' levels of stress and burnout, depression and anxiety. The results indicated the potential of mindfulness-based interventions for enhancing teachers' psychological health. Read more: A systematic review of mindfulness interventions for in-service teachers: A tool to enhance teacher wellbeing and performance - ScienceDirect

Also, meet Arawana Hayashi in Emma D. Paine's Field of the Future blog in Medium: On “Nowness”, improvisation, and making.