Embodied Teaching
Embodied Teaching™ was created and is taught by Marcy Ahn Crawford - parent of three, former school board president, child of classroom teachers, and a professional meditation teacher. Embodied Teaching is Marcy’s response to what she saw, again and again: attentiveness is vital to skillful, effective communication; people struggle with communication needlessly as a result of a lack of attentional skill training; and these skills can be shared with others by embodying the building blocks of mindful awareness.
Embodied Teaching™ is an approach to mindfulness training that teaches people to communicate more effectively by embodying the specific attentional skills that make up mindful awareness. Mindful awareness could be said to be simply paying attention closely and appropriately. The more that kind of attentiveness is trained with the Embodied Teaching method, the easier it is to teach it to others - not by offering explicit mindfulness lessons, but by embodying the qualities of mindful awareness that increase trust, collaboration, and creativity in any professional or personal relationship.
Embodied Teaching™ appeals to parents and life/business coaches because they tend to be deeply invested in having healthy, rewarding relationships with their clients and family members. Others who notice immediate benefits are those who see the implications of more effective communication on their classrooms and workplaces.
Connecting clearly and effectively with others is often easier said than done. Embodied Teaching gives you specific strategies to help you learn how to focus differently when you’re communicating with other people so you’ll see a positive impact right away. The Embodied Teaching approach is pragmatic, yet subtle, and, once you start working with it yourself, surprisingly intuitive. That’s because this approach is built upon something deeply rewarding that anyone can learn to do: listen well, speak directly, and understand clearly.
To learn more or bring Embodied Teaching to your school, organization, or team, reach out at info@contemplative-enrichment.org.
Embodied Teaching Masterclass for Classroom Teachers
Embodied Teaching Masterclass for Classroom Teachers is a training for educators in the simple, subtle art of attention.
If you’ve found your way here, you might be both hopeful and skeptical about “mindfulness in schools.” You’re not alone. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have multiplied, but students are still struggling, and teachers are still often burned out from trying to accommodate inattentive students, workplace demands, and stressed parents.
Embodied Teaching returns to first principles: we have to teach our students what we want them to learn, and if we want them to learn anything at all, they need to be able to pay attention, and to want to pay attention. Embodied Teaching offers a clear, easy to use way to bring attentional skills into the living reality of a classroom. Not with more lessons, but by learning how to embody specific qualities of attention while you do what you already do – teach your class a new concept, redirect side-talk, conference with a student who is struggling, send a note home.
We begin by defining our terms. We get precise about what “mindful awareness” actually is, why it matters for learning, and how to cultivate it in real time. Then, we practice together. Throughout your day, you test the tools, notice what works, and adjust. There’s nothing mystical and no special talent required. The skills are familiar to everyone, and become more and more intuitive with training.
The structure is simple: four 90-minute pre-recorded lessons you can watch on your schedule, written resources to revisit, and direct email support from Marcy as you move through the material. If you like structure, there are optional quizzes and journaling prompts; if you don’t, nothing extra is required. Your practice time is your life: hallway transitions, small-group work, the quiet before the bell.
When your attention is trained in this way, you’ll notice subtle changes in the room. Classroom management shifts from crisis control to responsive steadiness. You’ll notice a quieter classroom when quiet is needed, and liveliness when engagement requires energy. You’ll notice more healthy risk-taking in students, more openness in group dynamics, and more creativity. Teachers often report a quieter nervous system and a renewed sense of purpose. For students carrying complex circumstances, your presence will become a reliable anchor, and you’ll become equipped to meet them with more clarity and care.
If you’re curious, you can begin the self-paced course now. If you’re exploring school-wide access or group discounts, get in touch. We’ll share options and help you find the right path.