88 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT CHAPTER 5: THE MINDFUL CLASSROOM • 89
with mats, meditation pillows and benches, and various artifacts that we find centering
(Cook-Cottone, 2015). Try to make your mindfulness space a dedicated space that you do
not use for sleep, work, or entertainment (Cook-Cottone, 2015; Wallace, 2011). Here are some
things you can consider including in your meditation area/room (Cook-Cottone, 2015):
- Meditation bench or cushion (zafu, a round cushion used for seated meditation) or a good
bench/chair - One or two heavy blankets that can be folded and placed for comfort under your sitting
bones or knees - A meditation object (e.g., a photo, plant, battery-operated candle)
- Something to help you count the number of times a mantra, or affirmation, has been
recited (e.g., stones and a set of bowls, a beaded necklace or bracelet) - A timer with chimes or a pleasing sound
- A speaker or headphones for recorded meditations
- A mindfulness meditation app for your phone
Once you have set aside the time and the space (if you choose), you are ready to begin.
The guidelines for helping you and your students develop your mindfulness and medita-
tion practice (Cook-Cottone, 2015) follow.
SUPPORTING MINDFULNESS PRACTICES IN THE CLASSROOM
Supporting mindfulness practices in the classroom begins with you and your practice,
extends to formal teaching of skills in the classroom, and expands to the interweaving of
mindfulness throughout the school day (see Chapter 6).
Begin With What You Know
Building on your own practice, begin teaching the practices that resonate with you
(Willard, 2016). When I first began teaching mindfulness practices at the university, I
began with body scans and systematic relaxation (described later). As a classic type-A
personality, mindful awareness and focused concentration meditation were substantial
challenges for me. I did not feel authentic trying to teach them to others. It was the direct
connection to and relaxation of the body that was first accessible to me. As the well-
known saying goes, “It is difficult to have a stressed mind in a calm body.” Accordingly,
that is where I started teaching. The Advanced Graduate Certificate in Mindful Counseling,
now offered at the University at Buffalo, was built from these early beginnings. It started
in my counseling with children and adolescents class, with me teaching students how to
teach relaxation to children with anxiety. So, find what is comfortable and what works for
you, and start there.
Practices Feel and Look Different From Student to Student
Don’t assume that what feels good for you feels the same for all students (Olson, 2014).
Willard (2016) reminds us that, while some students love the feeling of slowing down and
becoming aware of their breath and bodies, others feel very uncomfortable. Some students