ixFOREWORD
Welcome to this important and comprehensive exploration of mindfulness and yoga for
schools. It’s a pleasure for us to say a few words about the exceptional work of Catherine
Cook-Cottone on this book, and we are glad that you’ve found it. You’ll find within a com-
bination of thoughtful and well-developed analyses of the field, and practical, timely, and
immediately useful information for teaching yoga and mindfulness in schools and setting
up sustainable and effective programs.
As a certified school psychologist, licensed psychologist, and yoga researcher, as well
as a certified yoga teacher, Dr. Cook-Cottone has a unique set of experiences that contribute
to the critical eye she brings to the topic in Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools. Specifically, she
has explored yoga and mindfulness in schools from a variety of perspectives that situate the
conversation firmly within the intersecting topics of education, psychology, neuropsychol-
ogy, and embodiment.
At a time when today’s youth are facing increased stress levels, mental health challenges,
mood disorders, health issues related to nutrition and exercise, and many other challenges
to their well-being, yoga and mindfulness are practices that can positively impact our young
people. Schools, where children spend most of their time, are increasingly focused on pro-
ducing reportable academic results such as high test scores, contributing to a culture of
stress and anxiety among students and staff alike. In this type of environment, a young
person’s natural inclination to explore, experiment, grow, and learn is often diminished.
Yoga and mindfulness can help to restore and maintain this innate curiosity and support the
creation of a positive learning environment.
The research on yoga and mindfulness in schools, and in the lives of children, continues
to grow. Dr. Cook-Cottone’s work is timely and necessary. Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools
provides insight into how these practices support children to become effective learners. This
book invites the reader to consider not just the tools of yoga and meditation, but also the
way that these practices bridge the experiences of young people. It asks us to consider the
vast scope of growing up by contextualizing learning as something that integrates the expe-
riences of the body, the emotions, the thoughts, as well as the external reality that frames
learning, for example, the culture, the community, and the school. Her framework, which
postures “the self as effective learner” who practices the integration of “self-regulation and
care” and “intentional reflective engagement,” is profound and provides a framework for
discussing yoga and mindfulness that is broad enough to move the field forward in invalu-
able ways.
This book is grounded in research and provides the insight that only an experienced
practitioner, researcher, and teacher can provide. The delivery of the empirically supported
methods and theory demonstrates Dr. Cook-Cottone’s significant experience in the field.
An extensive literature review supports the information about implementing programs in