Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

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CHAPTER 6

MINDFULNESS ON THE CUSHION: FORMAL

MINDFULNESS PRACTICES IN EDUCATING

FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT

[T]he faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention,

over and over again,

is the very root

of judgment, character, and will.

No one is [a master of oneself] if he have it not.

An education which should improve this faculty

would be the education par excellence.

William James, Principles of Psychology (1890)

MINDFUL TOOLS FOR SELF-REGULATION AND INTENTIONAL,

REFLECTIVE ENGAGEMENT

Mindfulness practices are the skills that students can effectively learn (Jennings, 2015). We
have spent a lot of time talking about the big ideas of mindfulness and yoga in education in
the first section of this book. We now move on to the practical applications of mindfulness in
the classroom. The mindfulness practices described here are the specific tools that will help
your students manage stress, self-regulate, and engage intentionally in their school day.
This chapter offers a review of specific formal mindfulness-based practices that can help you
and your students embody self-regulation, self-care, and intentional, reflective engagement
(see the Mindful and Yogic Self as Effective Learner [MY-SEL] model in Chapter 1).
Willard (2016), in his book, Growing up Mindful: Essential Practices to Help Children, Teens,
and Families Find Balance, Calm and Resilience, defines mindfulness practices as having these
three components: paying attention on purpose, present moment connection, and nonjudg-
mental acceptance (Willard, 2016, p. 28). Mindful practice cultivates an effective sense of
self that can negotiate both internal and external challenges (see Figure 6.1). Mindfulness
practices empower students to be more intentional in their schoolwork, in relationships,
and with themselves. As students learn to notice and allow internal and external experiences,