Welcome to The Flourishing Teacher's Field Guide.

This is a special edition for any teachers who feel a mind/body disconnect and want to discover how the body can be a powerful tool for maintaining wellbeing in our wonderful but highly demanding profession.

This week, we're exploring how simple physical adjustments can transform your emotional state and help you thrive both in and out of the classroom.

Let's jump in...

Your Body Is Trying To Tell You Something

For many of us, teaching can often feel like a purely mental game.

And that was how I used to think. I lived in my head, and I taught that way too.

Standing at the front of my classroom, I'd focus entirely on the lesson content, the behaviour management, the learning objectives... while completely ignoring what my body was trying to tell me.

Tight shoulders? Push through it.

Tension headache? That's just teaching.

Racing heart before a difficult conversation? Totally normal.

I was physically exhausted at the end of each week, shattered by half term, and not given any transformative tools by my leadership team. And I realised I'd been ignoring the most powerful tool for maintaining my wellbeing – my own body.

As teachers, we often prioritize everyone else's needs over their own physical health. But here's what I've learned:

Your body isn't just along for the ride – it's actively trying to help you stay balanced and energized.

The key is learning to listen and respond…

3 Body-Based Strategies That Actually Work

Recent research in somatic psychology shows that our physical state directly influences our mental wellbeing. More importantly, we can use this connection to our advantage.

So, here are three evidence-based strategies that have transformed my teaching practice:

1. "Posture Resetting" - Your Stance Shapes Your State

Research from Harvard Business School shows that holding certain postures for just two minutes can significantly alter your hormone levels and sense of confidence.

You might feel a bit weird, vulnerable or silly to start with, but these exercises really do work (I have even snuck out into the playground on occasion and found a quiet spot to practice them, so I know how useful they can be).

Try this:

• Before challenging lessons or interactions, stand in a "power pose" (feet apart, hands on hips) for 120 seconds

• Reset your shoulders and spine between classes

• Practice "grounding" through your feet when feeling overwhelmed

Remember: You're not just standing differently – you're actively changing your biochemistry.

2. "Movement Anchors" - Link Motion To Emotion

Create deliberate associations between specific movements and desired emotional states. When you do, you’re basically going to use your daily routines as active resets and refresh your emotional wellbeing. 

• Use your walk to the classroom as a mental reset (change your pace, attitude and breath to deliberately distance your journey from the destination)

• Link specific stretches to transitioning into out of work mode. You can do these in or out of the classroom, but do them just before you leave. They are your body’s signal to shift out of one phase and into another.

• Create a physical 'shake off' ritual between tasks

The key is consistency, and that means building up a regular daily practice where you use movement to connect with positive emotional states. Over time, the same movement should trigger the same emotional response.

3. "Body-Based Boundaries" - Physical Cues For Mental Shifts

Your body can help you maintain those crucial work/life boundaries we explored in our issue on building a great life-work balance. Most of the time, we create those boundaries in our heads, but when we create physical boundaries, it really helps our emotional wellbeing.

But them together, and you’ll see a real difference.

Here’s some simple ideas to try…

• Change your shoes when leaving work to signal 'home mode'

• Use different resources and materials for teaching versus planning

• Create physical distance from work materials at home

Remember: Your body knows the difference between work and rest – let it help you maintain that boundary.

What Are You Waiting For?

We believe that teachers achieve extraordinary things under challenging circumstances and that we all deserve to be valued, supported and celebrated.

That's what this newsletter is all about.

If you haven't subscribed yet, why not join the Marigold community? You'll get weekly strategies for sustaining your wellbeing, avoiding burnout and flourishing as a person, not just a teacher.

And best of all..?

It's free and always will be.

You can find out more about what to expect in this weekly newsletter here, or just go straight to our sign-up form.

Thank You For Everything

Your body and mind work incredibly hard every day to support your students' growth and learning. It's time to thank them both by paying attention to their needs.

Remember, small physical changes can lead to big emotional shifts. You don't need extra time or resources – just awareness and intention.

Here's a quick reminder of our body-based strategies:

Remember, you're more than your marking, your lesson observations and your planning.

You're you. And that's all you need to be.