86 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT CHAPTER 5: THE MINDFUL CLASSROOM • 87
sleepiness. You can include more if you’d like. It can be helpful to do an Internet search for
various examples of states of consciousness (note: add “ neuropsychology” to the search to
keep the search results secular).
Finally, the fourth foundation of mindfulness practice is mindfulness of mind-objects.
In this practice, bare attention is brought to the things the mind is thinking about. Thought
objects come from within, such as your cravings (e.g., chocolate, lunch, sleep), your feelings
(e.g., anger, frustration, worry, doubt), your memories, plans, and so on (McCown et al.,
2010). You can add an intentional object of concentration (e.g., a word or phrase or plant or
statue). I have used videos of various objects (e.g., a fireplace) in class, rather than the real
thing, to ensure safety and inspire focus. The four foundations of mindful practice align
with the principles of embodied learning: (1) I am worth the effort; (3) I am mindfully aware;
(4) I work toward presence in my physical body; (5) I feel my emotions to grow and learn;
(6) I ask questions about my feelings, thoughts, and physical experiences; (7) I choose my
focus and actions; and (8) I do the work (see Chapter 3).
BEGIN WITHIN: ESTABLISHING YOUR OWN MEDITATION PRACTICE
As a mindful and yoga informed educator, you may already have an established meditation
practice. As introduced in Chapter 1, it is important to develop your own practice. This is
because your own practice will be your best teacher and help you be the best teacher for your
students (Cook-Cottone, 2015; David, 2009; Willard, 2016). Let me tell you a story about how
your own practice can teach. In 2013, I was preparing for a trip to Africa to do research on the
Africa Yoga Project. With all the running around I was doing, I had everything in my truck: my
briefcase, passport, yellow fever card, purse, yoga bag, a speaker for my yoga music, and more.
At the same time, I was co-teaching a summer-camp yoga class on the East Side of Buffalo. This
is the part of town where there are fewer jobs and resources, a higher crime rate, and absolutely
no yoga studios or classes. I was excited for the neighborhood kids enrolled in the class. When
I got to the classroom, I realized that I had forgotten the speaker. We needed it in order to play
a song for the kids as they rested in savasana (i.e., resting pose). I had not been gone 5 minutes,
but my truck window was smashed in and nearly all of my belongings were stolen, including
critical things I needed for my trip to Africa. I called the police to make a report. I ran with a few
of the older kids to see if we could find anything tossed aside. There was nothing. Then, I went
in and taught the yoga class. It was a beautiful class. I used nearly all of the principles of embod-
ied learning and growth (see Chapter 3). I knew my mission was worth the effort (principle 1).
I used my breath as it was my most powerful tool (principle 2). I worked on presence (prin-
ciple 3) and allowed my feelings to move through me (principle 4). I knew I had a choice in the
present moment (principle 7), and I did the work that needed to be done (principle 8).
Fast forward. In 2015, the location of the day camp program was now the main studio for a
not-for-profit I founded, Yogis in Service, Inc. (i.e., YIS; http://www.yogisinservice.org)..) Specifically,
YIS was developed to create access to yoga. We had recently won a grant from Lululemon
Athletica to rebuild our studio, and they were sending a film crew to interview our YIS team
members who lived on the East Side about how yoga had affected their lives. One of the team
members, Diane, told the crew about the day my truck was broken into. Imagine my astonish-
ment as I listened to the story from her point of view. She described how she assumed that
there would be no yoga that day. She thought for sure I would be too upset to teach. Yet, she
said she saw me calm, breathing, and present for the class. She said, “If that is what yoga does,