The Teacher’s Task: Breathing and Sleeping

Presenter: Liz Beaven Ph.D.

In his preparatory work with the teachers of the first Waldorf school, Steiner stated that key tasks for the teachers were to teach the children to breathe and sleep properly. These statements can be a bit mysterious; together, we will explore what it means to teach these fundamental human processes, and how they can inform our work.

Disruptions to breathing and sleep are widely reported by teachers today in a range of settings. How is this “sleep and breathing crisis” affecting our schools? What are we seeing, how is this affecting our tasks, and, importantly, what can we do about it to help our students gain greater balance for today and strength for the future? What is the state of our own breathing and sleeping? We will explore the significance of all of this and the tools that are available to us.