88 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT CHAPTER 5: THE MINDFUL CLASSROOM • 89
will come to your classroom or school with trauma, and some of the practices can be anxiety
provoking (Cook-Cottone, 2015). For most of us, silence feels like a healing place, whereas
for some, it is a trigger for danger, loneliness, and even abandonment (Willard, 2016). It is
important to carefully assess the motives behind behaviors (Jennings, 2015). Jennings (2015)
notes that many children come to the classroom with a host of unmet needs that can drive
disruptive behavior. It is important to provide structure, options, and compassion, and
to balance effort and rest while working with these practices (see Chapter 3, principle 7:
I choose my focus and actions; principle 9; I find balance between structure and rest; and
principle 10: I honor efforts to learn and grow).
Let go of your notion of what a mindfulness practice is supposed to look like (Willard,
2016). For example, in seated meditation, there are specific instructions to press your feet
into the floor, sit with a straight spine, and rest your hands in your lap or on the desk. These
are good recommendations. However, for some students, these positions might feel unfa-
miliar, mean something different in different cultures, or feel unsafe socially or interperson-
ally (Willard, 2016). It can be easy for a teacher to get caught up in the rigidity of specific
instructions and lose the bigger picture of the mindfulness practice. For example, as Willard
(2016) suggests, when I ask students to close their eyes, I give them the options of lowering
their eyelids slightly or looking down in front of them, rather than insist everyone closes
their eyes.Be Mindful of How You Teach Mindfulness
When teaching mindfulness, be the presence that you want to cultivate in your students
(Cook-Cottone, 2016). That is, if you are guiding the student through a relaxation exercise with
the goal of helping to bring them to a calm and relaxed state, cultivate calmness and relaxation
in your own body. This is where your own practice can come into play. Ground your feet.
Take deep, mindful breaths, and speak from your belly.
Use your voice and words mindfully. Speak at a pace that reflects calmness and con-
tentment. It can be a common mistake to speak too quickly (David, 2009; Willard, 2016).
Notice that, when speaking too quickly, your breath does not keep up. Use your breath
to pace yourself (Willard, 2016). Speak loudly enough to be heard, yet softly enough to
avoid the impression of yelling. It took me quite a while to cultivate this voice. It comes
from the belly and is supported by breath. Ask for feedback from your students and con-
sider developing your voice a practice. Work toward a calm, confident, and assertive tone
(Willard, 2016).
Last, use your own voice. When I travel for work, I attend a yoga class wherever I go.
I have taken classes across the United States. I have noticed a tendency of some teachers
to use a yoga-teacher-voice. This often is a singsongy voice that seems to be an attempt to be
relaxing or calming. However, because it is, most often, not the teacher’s authentic voice, it
sounds inauthentic and distracting. I often hear the teacher speaking before and after class
in a much different voice. In her own voice, she sounds grounded, confident, and authentic.
That is the voice I hope to hear in class—the teacher’s own voice. The same is true for words.
Use words that are your words. If a word does not resonate for you or in your classroom,
find a word that does (Willard, 2016). The practices will be most effectively delivered when
they come directly from your practice, aligned with your breath, using your authentic voice,
and resonating words.