Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools: A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

This book explicates mindfulness and yoga as tools for cultivating embodied self-regulation within healthy, active, engaged learners. It is structured in four parts, each comprised of two to four chapters. The first part sets the stage for mindfulness and yoga interventions in schools. It includes a review of the conceptual model for embodied self-regulation and addresses the risks and outcomes associated with a lack of self-regulation and engagement among students. The first section also includes the three-tiered model of intervention used in education and a framework for implementing mindfulness and yogic practices within the three-tier approach. The second and third parts explicate the philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness and yoga, detail the formal and informal practices in a on-the-cushion/mat and off-the cushion/mat format, and critically review the mindfulness and yoga protocols that have been implemented and studied in schools. Specifically, the second part focuses on mindfulness interventions and the third part focuses on yoga interventions. The fourth part addresses mindful self-care for students and teachers. The mindful self-care scale is presented as a framework for presenting actionable self-care goals for students and teachers. The longer form and the shorter form are offered with a scoring system and research on each of the aspects of self-care. Mindfulness and yoga practices help us be on-purpose, intentional in our teaching and in our lives.