This is the first research-based text intended to help teachers and practitioners implement mindfulness and yoga programs in schools. A complete review of the literature on mindfulness and yoga interventions is provided along with detailed steps on how to implement such programs. Training requirements, classroom set-up, trauma-sensitive practices, and existing quality programs are reviewed. Twelve core principles of mindfulness and yoga in schools are woven throughout for the utmost in continuity. As a whole, the book provides tools for enhancing classroom and school practices as well as personal well-being. It is distinguished by its emphasis on research, translation of research into practice, and insight into potential roadblocks when using mindfulness and yoga in schools. Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools provides: A thorough examination of the efficacy of mindfulness and yoga in reducing stress and conflict and enhancing student engagement to serve as a rationale for integrating such programs into schools How-to sections for training, classroom and lesson plan preparation, and implementing specific techniques and comprehensive programs Photographs, scripts, and figures to help implement your own programs A tool for assessing and cultivating teacher and student self-care Part I reviews the conceptual model for embodied self-regulation and the risks associated with a lack of self-regulation, an intervention model used in education, and tips for implementing mindfulness and yogic practices within this approach. Parts II and III review the philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness and yoga and critically review the mindfulness and yoga protocols and interventions implemented in schools. Part IV addresses mindful self-care for students and teachers, including a scale for establishing self-care goals and a scoring system.

Yoga and mindfulness activities, with roots in Asian traditions such as Hinduism or Buddhism, have been brought into growing numbers of public schools since the 1970s. While they are commonly assumed to be secular educational tools, Candy Gunther Brown asks whether religion is truly left out of the equation in the context of public-school curricula. An expert witness in four legal challenges, Brown scrutinized unpublished trial records, informant interviews, and legal precedents, as well as insider documents, some revealing promoters of "Vedic victory" or "stealth Buddhism" for public-school children. The legal challenges are fruitful cases for Brown's analysis of the concepts of religious and secular. While notions of what makes something religious or secular are crucial to those who study religion, they have special significance in the realm of public and legal norms. They affect how people experience their lives, raise their children, and navigate educational systems. The question of religion in public education, Brown shows, is no longer a matter of jurisprudence focused largely on the establishment of a Protestant Bible or nonsectarian prayer. Instead, it now reflects an increasingly diverse American religious landscape. Reconceptualizing secularization as transparency and religious voluntarism, Brown argues for an opt-in model for public-school programs.

Wouldn’t it be great if your child could exercise, have fun, and build concentration skills all at the same time? In 2006, the Little Flower Yoga program was developed by teacher and certified yoga instructor Jennifer Cohen Harper, when her successful use of yoga in her kindergarten classroom led to requests by other students, teachers, and administrators for yoga programs of their own. Harper slowly began to teach more and more yoga classes, and eventually recruited other yoga teachers with education backgrounds to continue growing what had become a flourishing program. Little Flower Yoga for Kidsoffers this fun and unique program combining yoga and mindfulness in an easy-to-read format. Written specifically for parents and kids, the book aims at teaching children to pay attention, increase focus, and balance their emotions—all while building physical strength and flexibility. Based on a growing body of evidence that yoga and mindfulness practices can help children develop focus and concentration, the simple yoga exercises in this book can easily be integrated into their child’s daily routine, ultimately improving health, behavior, and even school achievement. The book details the five main components of the program: connect, breath, move, focus, and relax. Drawing on these components, Harper shares practical activities that parents can use with their children both on a daily basis and as applied to particularly challenging issues. And while this book is targeted to parents, teachers may also find it extremely useful in helping students achieve better attention and focus. For more information about this innovative program, visit www.littlefloweryoga.com.

New and unique exercises for children and adolescents in yoga, meditation, guided imagery and somatic explorations fill this comprehensive skills guide. This book is brimming with 115 practical and easy to use tools and stories supporting critical life skills for families, classrooms and therapy sessions. Holistic strategies include: •Meditation to support body-mind-spirit connection •Yoga pose adaptations for Autism, sensory processing & special needs •Trauma sensitive and grounding guided imagery •Parenting tools to tune to our somatic self and enjoy silence and nature •Designing a personal mantra and contemplation •Classroom interventions for building life skills

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In chaotic times, a deep breath can bring calm to your classroom. As the pandemic recedes and the world gradually returns to “normal,” it’s more important than ever to make your classroom a place that supports mental health and improves overall wellness. In this book, you’ll discover the why and the how of using techniques to reduce stress, improve executive function, and set the stage for increased memory and attention, better self-regulation, and improved cognition and academic learning. With this practical, research-based guide, you’ll incorporate age- and grade-appropriate meditation, breathing, mindfulness, and secular yoga activities into your teaching, in ways that work for in-person as well as virtual and hybrid settings. Features include Adaptations for special populations, including those who have experienced trauma Recommendations for family involvement in social emotional learning Guidance on self-care for teachers and school staff Data from successfully implemented programs Dozens of illustrations, QR codes, and reflective questions Mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword-it’s a time-tested, teacher-tested technique for reducing anxiety and improving you students’ outcomes. Incorporate it into your classroom and see for yourself how much good a deep breath can do.

Applied Mindfulness: Approaches in Mental Health for Children and Adolescents starts from the premise that mental health clinicians must have their own mindfulness practice before teaching the tenets and techniques of mindfulness to others, including young people. To that end, the book offers readers clear instructions on how to first practice mindfulness in their own lives and then extend their personal practice outward to others. Once this knowledge is internalized, the clinician can focus on mindfulness in terms of its application to specific clinical diagnoses, such as anxiety and depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and substance abuse. Because many mental health professionals work in multiple settings, such as in schools, in clinics, and online, the contributors, representing a wide range of creative and authoritative voices, explain how to skillfully tailor mindfulness interventions for effective application across diverse contexts. Drs. Carrion and Rettger, as Director of the Stanford Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program (SELSPAP) and Director of SELSPAP's Mindfulness Program, respectively, have been engaged in ongoing community-based work delivering mindfulness and yoga programming to underserved youth and their helpers. This expertise is evident in their eloquent yet down-to-earth editing. The volume offers clinicians everything they need to begin their mindfulness journey, including the following: - Introductory knowledge on how to get started with a meditation practice. Specific mindfulness scripts are provided throughout the book to foster development of the reader's own practice. In addition, there are audio practices and clear written descriptions of practices to offer support for those learning to meditate, internalize mindfulness practices, and then adapt these skills for clinical practice. - A developmental and ecological approach to implementing mindfulness. The book offers insight into integrating mindfulness across many settings, platforms, and applications, and includes chapters on mindfulness online, at home, and in school, as well as chapters on incorporating nature into mindfulness practice and the relationship between mindfulness and creativity. - Material on specific clinical populations, including immigrant youth and incarcerated youth. A special chapter is devoted to trauma-informed yoga, which has been shown to be an effective therapeutic intervention for youth who have been incarcerated. - Comprehensive information on the current state of youth mindfulness research, which prepares readers to discuss these topics knowledgeably with colleagues and patients. Like ripples in water, the benefits of mindfulness spread outward, from clinicians to patients, families, schools, and communities. Applied Mindfulness: Approaches in Mental Health for Children and Adolescents is the first step toward stress reduction, peace, and compassion for a new generation.

Are you interested in offering students in your school the most effective, sustainable and inclusive yoga programming possible? Would you like to teach yoga in schools and have the support and advice of those with many years of successful experience? Have you been interested in sharing yoga with your students, but wondering how to do so safely? Best Practices for Yoga in Schools is a guide for yoga teachers, classroom teachers, school administrators, social workers, and anyone else interested in bringing yoga to children safely, and in a just and inclusive way. By outlining suggestions and considerations across a wide variety of topics, this book will help you effectively and sustainably offer high-quality yoga programming for all children. Based on the collective wisdom and experience of 23 contributors and four reviewers, this Best Practices Guide will support your capacity to implement meaningful school-based yoga programs, with the potential to transform the educational environment and help students thrive in a wide variety of situations. Praise For Best Practices for Yoga in Schools "The Yoga Service Best Practices Guide is an invaluable resource for educators bringing yoga into school settings to promote positive student outcomes. Drawing upon what we know about child development and developmentally appropriate practice, the book offers clear guidance on how best to teach yoga to children and teens in school settings. I highly recommend this book." - Patricia Jennings, Professor at UVA Curry School of Education, author of Mindfulness for Teachers "This is a remarkable effort; a sage, inspiring, pragmatic and well presented manual of best practices for every one seeking to provide "safe, effective, inclusive, and sustainable" yoga classes in schools. The collective wisdom and experience is immediately apparent." - John Kepner, Executive Director: International Association of Yoga Therapists "This is a thoughtful, well researched guide that should be an essential read for anyone wanting to bring yoga to schools. I'm so excited that the Yoga Service Council has been able to create a resource of this caliber using a collaborative model that leaves room for individual styles and philosophies. This is exactly what the field of yoga service needs- agreed upon best practices that unify all the great work already being done." - Hala Khouri, M.A. E-RYT, Co-founder Off the Mat, Into the World, Somatic Counselor, Yoga Teacher and Mother "As a principal and superintendent I have implemented yoga programs in urban and suburban schools and have witnessed the success with students of all ages. Academics increase and off task behavior decreases with every yoga breath students take. Best Practices for Yoga in Schools is a great resource to start a yoga program in your school." - Cynthia Zurchin, Superintendent of Schools, author of The Whale Done School

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