Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

CHAPTER 6: MINDFULNESS ON THE CUSHION • 113

your fingers slightly to allow light in. Slowly withdraw your hands from your eyes, breathing
normally.

Source: Bien (2008), Cook-Cottone (2015), Davis et al. (2008), Greenland (2010), Kabat-Zinn (2013),
Stahl and Goldstein (2010), and Wallace (2011).

Body Scan

The body scan is a good practice for integrating mind and body (Davis et al., 2008;
Jennings, 2015; McCown et al., 2010; Stahl & Goldstein, 2010). The body scan medita-
tion has traditionally been done lying down (Jennings, 2015). Again, this is fine if you
have yoga mats in your room or can do this during physical education or wellness class.
However, in the classroom, you can ask your students to lean back into their chairs.
You want them to feel grounded and comfortable in the position that they select (Cook-
Cottone, 2015; Jennings, 2015). If the meditation is done in a yoga room with supports,
blankets, and pillows, a rolled blanket can be placed under the knees and a small pillow
under the head (Cook-Cottone, 2015). Read through the scan a few times before you work
with it in class. It may be helpful to do some basic anatomy with the class so that they
know the names and location of the body parts to which you will be referring. Use a fig-
ure drawing as in Figure 6.4. Have students draw a line to each body part and then draw
in heart and lungs. For older children, this is a good time to show a video on the action
of the diaphragm in breathing (e.g., see the 3D View of the Diaphragm, http://www.youtube
.com/watch?v=hp-gCvW8PRY).

Eyes

Nose and Nostrils

Shoulders

Elbows

Arms

Sitting Bones

or Sit Bones

Hips

Knees

Knee caps

Ankles

Feet

Crown of the Head

Heart

Lungs

Belly

Toes

Shins

Lower Back

Spine

Neck

Cheeks

Forehead

Thighs

(tops of legs)

FIGURE 6.4 Basic body parts.

PRACTICE SCRIPT 6.2 (continued )