CHAPTER 3: THE MINDFUL AND YOGIC LEARNER: 12 EMBODIED PRACTICES FOR SCHOOLS • 61Diversity Toolkit: Cultural Competence for Educators (www.nea.org/tools/30402.htm).
Finally, Childress and Harper (2015) offer a wealth of guidance in areas including: support-
ing positive body image development (pp. 26–27); working with disabilities (pp. 38–39);
seeing all behaviors as communication (pp. 55–56); committing to inclusivity (pp. 57–58);
creating equitable relationships (pp. 59–60); recognizing trauma’s effects on students
(pp. 65–66); considering social and emotional needs (pp. 82–83); creating a safe space
(pp. 102–103); and addressing students’ needs (pp. 104–105).
Who Can Teach Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools?
There is no consistent set of standards for the hiring of instructors that can be applied
nationally, across states and school districts, at this time. Further, the fields of mindfulness
and yoga have evolved both together and distinctly, along with two separate histories for
standards of practice (Cook-Cottone, 2015). Be sure to check with your school district and
consult the state regulations relevant to the school within which you would like to imple-
ment mindfulness and yoga instruction.
According to Rechtschaffen (2014) in his book, The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating
Well-Being in Teachers and Students, and Childress and Harper (2015) in Best Practices for Yoga
in Schools, training in mindfulness and/or yoga, ongoing study (i.e., continuing education),
and personal practice are encouraged and required. Essentially, given appropriate training,
active practice, and the correct teaching credentials for your school district and state, anyone
can teach mindfulness and yoga. In some schools, like Kellie Love’s in New York, there is a
dedicated yoga or mindfulness teacher. The students attend class just as they would attend
a health, physical education, or math class. In other schools, physical education and health-
and-wellness teachers are trained to provide mindfulness and yoga instruction to students.
Still in other districts, classroom and subject teachers train in mindfulness and/or yoga and
actively interweave mindfulness and yoga into their curriculum and throughout the school
day. Currently, researchers are exploring which models work best, and there are no pub-
lished studies that indicate one option is more effective than another.
When I began my yoga teaching, I was early in my career as a professor. I had just
received my license as a psychologist in New York State and was eager to conduct research
on using yoga to prevent eating disorders among young girls. For several years, I hired yoga
teachers with training and certifications appropriate for New York State to teach yoga for
my research studies in schools. You see, I saw teaching yoga as something that other people
could do. As I observed the yoga classes, I was so inspired by what I was seeing among the
students participating in my research, I decided to enroll in yoga teacher training myself.
As I learned, I began integrating what I was learning into my curriculum at the
university. Over time, I added mindfulness and yoga components to my coursework on
counseling with children and adolescents, and developed my own courses on mindful
therapy and yoga for health and healing. Eventually, I created an Advanced Certificate in
Mindful Counseling for Wellness and Engagement (gse.buffalo.edu/programs/adv-cert/
counseling). We now offer additional courses in mindful coaching, evidence-based inter-
ventions for using mindfulness and yoga, and a course on balancing self-care and service.
Taking the principle of possibility very seriously and personally, I founded and am presi-
dent of a not-for-profit called Yogis in Service (www.yogisinservice.org) that offers yoga to
those who would not otherwise have access. I also continue my research on self-regulation,
self-care, and yoga.