Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

202 • Part III: YOGa FOr EDUCatING FOr SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt CHaPtEr 9: YOGa aS EMBODIED SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt • 203

Yet, it does not share many other features found in traditional and spiritual yoga including
religious dogma, spiritual language or belief, use of Sanskrit, and traditional yoga artifacts,
such as mala beads. In more traditional, philosophical approaches to yoga, the yoking, or
integration, is viewed as occurring between the material and the universal, spiritual self.
Distinctly, in a secular approach, the yoking or integration is mind and body, intention and
action, breath and movement, and neurological integration (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b;
see Figure 9.2). An  explication of the four main features of a secular approach to yoga
follow.
First, secular yoga for schools is informed by and responsive to yoga research
( Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). For many decades now, schools
have been moving toward best practices and empirically supported practice mandates.
Teachers and administrators view instructional time as a precious resource that should be
used only for intervention and methodologies known to work for their populations (Cook-
Cottone et al., 2016b). As will be reviewed in Chapter 13, yoga researchers are investigating
how yoga can best support positive school behaviors, self-regulation, stress management,
and learning outcomes (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). Further,
researchers are exploring how to administer yoga in schools looking at issues related to
optimal frequency and duration of yoga sessions, gender differences, safe practices and
risks, effective teaching methodologies, and optimal teacher training (Cook-Cottone et al.,
2016a). Each year we learn more about what it means to teach yoga effectively. School-based
yoga teachers attend conferences, read publications, and stay up to date in order to deliver
the most effective yoga possible for their schools.
Second, secular yoga instruction in schools prioritizes access and inclusion for all
students (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). Specifically, a secular
approach to yoga creates access by respecting diverse religious and nonreligious beliefs,
maintaining separation of church and state in principle and practice, and recognizing
religious equality before the law (Childress & Harper, 2015; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a;

Culture/Traditional

Spiritual Yoga:

Material and Spiritual

with Universal Self

Physical Postures

Breathing Exercises

Relaxation

Meditation

Secular Yoga:

Mind and Body

(Intention and Action)

Breath and Movement

Neurological Integration

Secular Yoga

Spiritual

Yoga

Cultural/

Tr aditional

Yoga

FIGUrE 9.2 A secular approach to yoga.

Source: Cook-Cottone et al. (2016b).