Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

CHAPTER 3: THE MINDFUL AND YOGIC LEARNER: 12 EMBODIED PRACTICES FOR SCHOOLS • 47

MECHANISMS OF MINDFULNESS AND YOGA IN SCHOOLS

I believe that mindful and yoga approaches uniquely help students work toward a self-
determined, embodied presence in their schoolwork and relationships. The research on
mindfulness and yoga in schools is in the early stages. That is, there is a lot more to learn
about the key mechanisms of change for these practices and how yoga and mindfulness
uniquely and respectively contribute to student well-being and engagement. Most agree,
mindfulness and yoga are distinct. Accordingly, forthcoming chapters in this book address
the unique bodies of research. It is also a given that the practices share historical roots and
core practices (e.g., meditation, relaxation, mindfulness). Here we explore the shared ben-
efits, practices, and principles.
Finding the space between stimulus and response through the process of mindfulness and
yoga is aligned with and builds on positive psychology constructs that are currently being stud-
ied among youth populations. These constructs include growth mindset, grit, self-compassion,
and self-care. These approaches all point to the ability to be fully aware, engaged, and self-
determining. That is, who we really are, who a student is becoming as a person, need not be
dependent on internal experiences (i.e., feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations) or external
triggers (e.g., relationships, environmental factors; Cook-Cottone, 2015). That is, despite of, or
without regard for, internal or external contingencies, consequences, or rewards—we can cre-
ate who we are. We can construct the experience of self (Cook-Cottone, 2015).
How is that done? For years, we have argued nature versus nurture, and this line of think-
ing suggests that the self-need not rest solely in the hands of either. For all of us, teachers and
students, the active process of constructing, experiencing, and regulating the self involves
awareness, inquiry, active engagement, self-regulation, and intentional effort. Further, the
practice must be embodied, lived. This chapter addresses some of the key mechanisms of

Students as

Learners

of academics

and tools for

learning

System (School)

supports development

of the Self (Student)

Students as

Active

Architects

of their own

learning and

well-being

Students as

Collaborative

Problem Solvers

in service of

societal

well-being

The Self supports

the development

of the System

FIGURE 3.1 Reminder of our goals as educators.