96 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT CHAPTER 5: THE MINDFUL CLASSROOM • 97
Rather, set them up with the specific skills. You may model the practice or simply walk the
students through the experience. Take about 3 to 5 minutes to do this, depending on the age
of the students. Next, the students will practice what they have learned. This can be done
individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Another 2 to 5 minutes here. At this point, the
lesson should be at about the 12 to 20 minute mark, depending on the age of the students.
Students can share with the whole group the discoveries made in pairs or small group work
(Rechtschaffen, 2014).
Journaling, Generalizing, and Closing
Journaling is often reserved for older students (Rechtschaffen, 2014). However, I have found
that elementary students enjoy drawing and writing about their experience in a similar, yet
less formal, way. This allows younger students to reflect on their mindfulness lesson in a
personal and creative way and cultivate a practice of processing experiences through writ-
ing. For older students, ask them to draw or write about their mindfulness lesson practice.
Ask them to make connections that bridge the lesson that was taught and the meaning that
is experienced within the lesson. Ask, “How did it feel to learn this practice? What does this
type of practice mean to you and offer you?” Ask them to be as descriptive as possible. Next,
at the end of each lesson, Rechtschaffen (2014) suggests the group explore ways in which the
theme, concept, or practice of the mindfulness lesson can be used in the students’ daily lives.
The goal is for the students to become investigators into how mindfulness can play a role in
their lives (Rechtschaffen, 2014). Invite them to practice at home and in school so that they
can share. Finally, close the session with a short mindfulness lesson (see Rechtschaffen, 2014
for a more detailed breakdown of the mindfulness lesson).
CONCLUSION
Mindfulness practice in the classroom offers students an opportunity to practice valuing the
reflective and intentional process. As we seek to graduate self-motivated and skilled prob-
lem solvers, we must also seek to develop reflective thinking. These processes go hand-in-
hand. By building the mindful classroom from the ground up and from the inside out (i.e.,
from your own practice to your teaching), you will model the work that is needed to build
a mindful and reflective life.
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Cook-Cottone, C. (2004). Childhood posttraumatic stress disorder: Diagnosis, treatment, and school
reintegration. School Psychology Review, 33, 127.
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2015). Mindfulness and yoga for self-regulation: A primer for mental health profession-
als. New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2016). Yoga for the re-embodied self: The therapeutic journey home. Yoga Therapy
Today, Winter, 40–42.
Cook-Cottone, C. P., Kane, L., Keddie, E., & Haugli, S. (2013). Girls growing in wellness and balance: Yoga
and life skills to empower. Onalaska, WI: Schoolhouse Educational Services.