Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement

Christine Mason, PhD, an educational psychologist, is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of educational reform, visioning, trauma and mindfulness, teacher and principal mentoring, and special education. She is also a yoga, mindfulness, meditation instructor who was trained in New Mexico and certified in 2001, with a Level II yoga certification in Conscious Communication in 2005. From 2005-2009, she was chair of the Education Committee for Miri Piri Academy, an international yoga boarding school in Amritsar, India. In 2009, she served for 5 months as the interim principal at Miri Piri. Since being certified to teach yoga, Christine has taught 2-5 yoga and meditation classes weekly in local community centers and for the Fairfax County Parks and Recreation program. She is a member of the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association and is also certified in Radiant Child Yoga. Christine is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Educational Improvement, an intentional collaborative of educators and researchers actively engaging to create a transformational system of education focused on collective healing and holistic learning. We identify, curate, develop, and scale-up sustainable practices, such as Heart Centered Learning and Leadership and student-led reform, that nurture family and community connectedness, well-being, equity, and justice. Christine is also the Chief Advisor to the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative, with Yale University's New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. Her time as chair of Miri Piri's education committee and her multiple visits to India, as well as her experiences networking for transformative educational change and researching exemplary educational programs, serve as the foundation for her beliefs and efforts to bring compassionate practices to all aspects of education. Early in her career, Christine also was a classroom teacher and a professor, teaching courses in curriculum, inclusion, social emotional learning, educational assessment, and educational research. She has also served as Associate Executive Director of Research and Professional Development at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP); Director of Professional Development for the Student Support Center in Washington, D.C.; and the Senior Director for Research and Development with the Council for Exceptional Children. Christine is lead author of several books and articles, including Mindfulness Practices: Cultivating Heart Centered Communities Where Children Focus and Flourish, Mindful School Communities: The 5 Cs of Nurturing Heart Centered Learning, Visioning Onward: A Guide for ALL Schools, and Compassionate School Practices: Fostering Children's Mental Health and Well-Being. She is also the primary author and developer of an innovative process for developing compassionate school cultures: The School Compassionate Culture Analytical Tool for Educators (S-CCATE). Jeffrey Donald, MS, has served as an educator and instructional leader for the past sixteen years. He is currently the Mindfulness Coordinator for Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland. Jeffrey holds a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Hood College as well as being a certified 500-hour Master Yoga and Meditation teacher & Reiki Master. Mr. Donald has held international wellness retreats in Mexico and Costa Rica, has been featured on national news such as PBS Newshour, and has co-authored two school-based mindfulness books. As an advocate for social justice and systemic change, Mr. Donald believes that the fundamental application of yogic practices and philosophy is essential to life-long success and satisfaction, therefore everyone is deserving of free access and opportunity to these practices and lifestyle. To this end, Jeff serves on several yogic-based Board of Directors, serves regularly in Restorative Truth and Reconciliation commissions, and most importantly, consistently teaches the science of Kundalini yoga, Vipassana Meditation, and mindfulness to populations who historically have not had free access or opportunity Krishna Kaur. When California and several other states passed the Three Strikes Law in 1994, being a Black woman in the US, I knew that it meant that many men and women of color, especially Black men and women, would be corralled in prisons even for something as simple as stealing a candy bar if it was their 3rd strike. I also knew that our prisons were up for sale around the same time and that lots of money could be made from owning a prison. The two situations, the 3 strikes law, and the privatization of many of our maximum prisons, were a match made in heaven. These two possibilities sparked in me the determination to do everything possible to help prevent our youngsters from getting that 3rd strike. It was then that Y.O.G.A. for Youth was born. I was initially called to teach high school youth in a program called, "Upward Bound." These low-income youth had strong desires to go to college but were not being exposed to the kind of education from their low income schools that could support that vision to become a reality. I taught Kundalini Yoga to a group of inner-city youth in collaboration with Upward Bound for four summers. These youngsters, boys and girls, black and white, were being housed on a beautiful university campus learning higher math, college level sciences, and other college prep courses. That hope filled program ended unceremoniously when our government passed what was called the "No Child Left Behind" law that in reality, left millions of young Black and Brown boys and girls behind. They were devastated. We were frustrated. I then received a call from the director of a Juvenile Detention Center for incarcerated boys. That is when it became obvious that I needed to create a YFY Teacher Training program. What was easy for me was not easy for many who wanted to help make a difference in the lives of our youth. Training yoga teachers in the most effective ways to engage teens and pre-teens in the art and science of yoga and meditation was critical to the success of our organization. The trainings grew from 9-hour trainings to 40 hours, where it has been for over 20 years. The increase in hours for the training was imperative as the need for our teachers to understand more deeply the issues surrounding trauma, anxiety, and fear grew in intensity. These triggers to youth's behaviors are chronic in our inner-city schools and homes today. Our teachers have to be able to identify and respond effectively to the questions we are given on the spot by these youngsters. At the same time, it is precisely the yoga and mindful self-help techniques that empower them and give them hope and a belief in themselves that changes their lives going forward. It wasn't long before I began receiving calls from places I never expected. It was eye opening to realize that young Black and Latino kids were not the only ones who needed what we were teaching. The Y.O.G.A. for Youth training has been taught around the world, throughout Europe, Brazil, Chile, Germany, the UK, Mexico, China and extensively throughout the United States and North America. Our children are everywhere and need these teachings to help them navigate through a very complicated world. Right now, there is very little else that makes sense to them. During the past year, under COVID, Y.O.G.A. for YOUTH has served elementary and middle schools via Zoom in Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Montgomery County Schools in Maryland. These conditions are far from the best environments for youngsters at home trying to focus while siblings, pets, and other distractions prevail. Yet, in our experience they enthusiastically engage for short periods of time as the memory of how they felt after the yoga classes at school is something they want to experience again and again. They say it helps them sleep a night. That might sound like a small thing, but when you haven't slept for 3 days, it can totally distort the way even the simplest of challenges can trigger irrational thinking and undesirable behavior. There is a learning curve for sure, yet, when it comes to our children, Y.O.G.A. for YOUTH wants each child to affirm their own greatness. That is more important than anything to us. Michele Rivers Murphy, EdD, CEI's Associate Director of Heart Centered Learning, is a seasoned consultant, presenter, and educational leader. A change agent for over two decades, she has helped transform some of the highest-needs neighborhoods and districts by improving student engagement, school culture, and academic success. Michele's organizational research specifically addresses the challenges associated with childhood trauma and stress that compromise learning and teaching. Through building compassionate, supportive school environments, educators learn to find balance between social-emotional health and well-being and academic achievement. Michele has served as an educational leader at all grade levels. As an administrator, she created an innovative disciplinary approach as an alternative to in-school and out-of-school suspension, completely eliminating in-school suspension and decreasing out-of-school suspension by 75 percent. In addition, she expanded high-needs programming to a mainstream setting, with a focus on real-life practice, service, and connection to community. She also created a 21st century school community model, which she presented to the Massachusetts Secretary of Education. Michele is co-author (with Christine Mason) of Mindful School Communities and Mindfulness Practices, and co-developer and co-author of The School Compassionate Culture Analytical Tool for Educators (S-CCATE). Michele obtained a doctoral degree in educational leadership (K-12) from Northeastern University. She also holds multiple certifications in both regular and special education. Valerie Brown, JD, MA, PCC, transformed her high-pressure, twenty-year career as a lawyer lobbyist, representing educational institutions and nonprofits, to human-scale work with leaders and teams to foster trustworthy, compassionate, and authentic connections. She is an accredited leadership coach, international retreat leader, writer, and Chief Mindfulness Officer of Lead Smart Coaching, LLC (www.leadsmartcoaching.com), specializing in application and integration of mindfulness and leadership, and is a Co-Director of Georgetown's Institute for Transformational Leadership. She holds the following degrees: Juris Doctorate, Master of Arts, and Bachelor of Arts. Her books include The Road that Teaches: Lessons in Transformation through Travel (QuakerBridge Media, 2012) and the highly acclaimed, The Mindful School Leader: Practices to Transform Your Leadership and School (Corwin, 2014). Valerie's received extensive training from the Center for Courage & Renewal and Parker J. Palmer; the Institute for Transformational Leadership at Georgetown University; the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society; the Center for Compassion Focused Therapy; the Ojai Foundation; the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology (NYC); Chestnut Hill College (PA) Certificate in Holistic Spirituality; The Leadership Circle Profile (TM); and Transformational Educational Leadership. Valerie is an ordained Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village tradition founded by Thich Nhat Hanh and a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). As a certified kundalini yoga teacher, she helps leaders discover the wisdom of the body. She leads an annual transformational pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago, Spain, to celebrate the power of sacred places.

Foreword by Ruschelle Reuben Preface Resiliency and Healing in the Moment: Mindfulness How to Use Cultivating Happiness, Resiliency, and Well-Being Glossary Cultivating Happiness, Resiliency, and Well-Being - The Book Key principles Acknowledgments About the Authors List of Online Resources Part I: Introduction Chapter 1: Research Support for Mindful Breath Work, Meditation, and Yoga Movements Reaching for Stars Research Base Supporting Mindfulness, Yoga, and Meditation with Children Alleviating Stress Anatomy and Body Alignment Start with Breath Impact of Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation on the Endocrine System Yoga Postures and Alignment Heart Centered Meditation Principles for Success Mindful Reflection Chapter 2: A Few Basics Strengthening Our Own Metacognition Through Mindfulness Practice Heart Centered Connections Mindfulness Games Restorative Practices - Building Resiliency, Building Community Who Can Teach Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation in Schools? Teaching Mindfulness and Meditation Mindful Reflection Chapter 3: Teacher Stress and Teacher Practice Teacher Stress and Burnout Were Alarmingly High Before COVID Your Own Daily Practice Where Are You? Observing Your Progress Creating a Yoga-Meditation-Mindfulness Practice Using Your Practice to Plan for Teaching Students Mindful Reflection Chapter 4: Organizing Space, Materials, and Instruction I. Preparing to Teach: Yoga Space and Materials Places to Access Yoga Supplies and Materials for Schools Resources to Guide Yoga Instruction II. Components of Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation Instruction Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation Instruction Your Presence and Your Voice When You Teach Teaching Meditation Students as Co-Leaders III. Integrating Yoga, Meditation, and Mindfulness with Academic Instruction A Mindfulness Intervention Room Developmental Stages and Appropriateness Adaptations for Younger Students Yoga Before or After School Progress and Impact Mindful Reflection Part II: Heart Centered Learning - the Five Cs Mindful Reflection Chapter 5: Overview of the 5 Cs Practices for Life The 5 Cs Chapters Curricular Context Student Motivation and Accommodations A Few More Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation Basics As You Teach - Timing and Pacing Infusing Practices throughout Classrooms and Schools Are You Ready? Mindful Reflection Chapter 6: Consciousness Teacher Notes Consciousness and Self-Awareness Curricular Context Consciousness Warm-Up Breath Work Yoga Set: Posture and Movement Meditations Consciousness Curriculum Integration Planner Consciousness Opens Us to Compassion Mindful Reflection Chapter 7: Compassion Teacher Notes Curricular Context Compassion Warm-Ups Breath Work Yoga Set: Posture and Movement Meditations Compassion Curriculum Integration Planner Mindful Reflection Chapter 8: Confidence Teacher Notes Confidence Fosters Mental Health, Well-Being, and Happiness Curricular Context Confidence Warm-Ups Breath Work Yoga Set: Posture and Movement Meditations Confidence Curriculum Integration Planner Mindful Reflection Chapter 9: Courage Teacher Notes Finding Our Voice, Living in the Present, and Co-Creating Curricular Context Confidence Warm-Ups Breath Work Yoga Set: Posture and Movement Meditations Courage Curriculum Integration Planner Mindful Reflection Chapter 10: Community Teacher Notes Warm, Supportive Environments for Learning Expanding our Community Consciousness, Creating Transformative Change Curricular Context Community Includes Families Community Warm-Ups Breath Work Yoga Set: Posture and Movement Meditations Community Curriculum Integration Planner Mindful Reflection Part III: Leadership Mindful Reflection Chapter 11: Mindful Educational Leadership: Practices to Transform You and Your Leadership The Inner Life of Leaders Linked to Outer Life of Leadership Leadership and Emotional Intelligence Mindfulness Practices for Educational Leaders Mindful Reflection Chapter 12: Being a Mindfulness Coordinator Mindful Leadership Montgomery County Public Schools Mindfulness Program Accomplishments The Coalition for the Future of Education Mindful Reflection Sources for Yoga Breathe Work, Kriyas and Meditations References

"Where does one start in recognizing what a valuable gift the authors of this book have provided teachers and their students? Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement is truly an amazing experiential resource that begins with an overview of the wealth of neuroscientific research supporting the efficacy of yoga, mindfulness, and mediation in alleviating stress, enhancing executive functioning, dealing with emotions, and advancing happiness and well-being for children and adults. The authors, in a marvelously understandable and illustrative fashion, provide educators with numerous age-appropriate classroom practices to choose from, all with step-by-step instructions including trauma-informed yoga instruction to help students who have experienced trauma, especially considering the impact of COVID-19. The emphasis on how to address the barriers to practice and increase motivation, engagement, interest, and fun is incredibly helpful. In addition, the reader will discover numerous online resources, apps, and outside readings to facilitate classroom instruction. The authors also stress the importance of integrating these practices into teachers' own lives to help deal with the high levels of stress and burnout that is endemic in their profession and to enhance the joy of teaching these practices to their students, knowing that it can change their lives forever. While I was reading this book, I often felt the mindfulness of the moment. What a wonderful, heartfelt contribution to the field of education!" -- Glenn Albright, PhD "Educators will find much inspiration and support in this book, which offers insightful and practical ways to support students' emotional health. It is our bodies that hold trauma, and it is through our bodies that we can find release and emotional rest. This compassionate work provides educators with easy-to-implement strategies and activities that use the breath and body to create change from the inside out. The goal of this comprehensive resource is to not only lower anxiety and challenging behaviors, but also to create learning communities that further joy, wonder, and happiness." -- Hannah Beach "This is a superb resource! Supported by research, the authors offer a treasure chest of well-structured mindfulness-based activities, practices, materials, and frameworks for educators, yoga teachers, and students. The authors seek not only incremental improvement in student mental and physical well-being, but they have also offered a practical roadmap for high-performance functioning, integrating mind, body, and heart. Reflecting the authors' social justice and equity perspectives, the text and the photos are racially and culturally inclusive." -- John Bell "Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement represents an immense contribution to the field. Beginning with research findings, the authors anticipate and address virtually every what, why, how, who, when, and where question that educators, parents, and the public may have about the book's subject. Their goal is nothing less than to provide blueprints for an education that truly serves the needs of students and teachers in today's troubled times. They have succeeded!" -- Richard Brady "I am so excited to hear that Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement will be available to practitioners across K-12 settings. Chris Mason and her colleagues share practical, sensible, and 'you can do today' strategies in a beautiful way that adds a spirit of calm at a much needed time in schools. Educators looking for a compassionate approach to supporting their students in a developmentally appropriate and engaging way need to look no further: You found your resource." -- Dr. Susie DaSilva "At a time when the pandemic, global warming, racial reckoning, ideological division, and technological innovation have coalesced to present schools and students with disorienting change, the authors of Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement have provided a tremendous resource of hope. Grounding their work in scientific evidence, they demonstrate the benefits that mindfulness traditions have on the health and well-being of adults and students alike. This path-breaking book provides an accessible overview of ancient yet vibrant practices that provide remarkable possibilities; it offers tangible implementation plans that empower students and teachers to listen with their heads and their hearts, to face adversity with courage and compassion, to build confidence and resilience, to care for themselves, and, above all, better understand and heal one another. Every teacher, administrator, and parent who wants to improve learning outcomes, raise moral children, and create a more peaceful and just society should read this book and embrace its promise. " -- Bryan K. Garman, PhD "Learning, understanding, and using the five Cs described in this book for social emotional learning in my practice as a school principal has been a game changer! Working with staff and having compassionate conversations has changed how we do business in school. Staff and students are definitely benefitting from being engaged in mindful movement and yoga." -- Stacy Bachelder Giles "Playing and learning are synonyms. Both-in their purest form-are about freely and joyfully engaging, connecting, and exploring the surrounding world. For children-and adults for that matter-to effectively play and learn, they must have a deeply embodied sense of calm, confidence, connection, and curiosity. Movement, meditation, and mindfulness are essential tools for developing these senses and enabling people to become lifelong learners and players. This book is a gift: a gift that has been given to our school communities at a time in our history when we need it most. Within its pages lies a practical roadmap for creating safer and more joyful, loving, and inspiring schools." -- Steve Gross "This generously comprehensive manual will open new doors for any educator hoping to share best practices in introducing yoga and mindfulness to their students and schools. Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement fills an important gap in well-being in education work, reminding us of the crucial importance of paying attention to the body, mind, and heart when working with young people. Well-being is increasingly taking center stage in educational redesign initiatives, and the authors rightly emphasize the importance of teachers establishing their own awareness before setting out on this rich and rewarding journey with their students. With this valuable book by their side, teachers will be equipped with a wide range of practical self-care tools and approaches to bring greater well-being to themselves and their community." -- Kevin Hawkins and Amy Burke "The pandemic has brought us to the decisive realization that if we are going to make good on the essential purpose of education-to draw out the innate potential of our children-we must address the impact of the emotional, physiological, and social well-being on their learning and identify practices that foster the ability to thrive in all of these dimensions. Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement is the guide to this endeavor, providing critical understandings, vital practices, and inspirational evidence to equip our students with the strategies and confidence for the personal strength and self-determination required for academic, social, and emotional fortitude so needed now-and throughout their lives!" -- Yvette Jackson "As a parent, I know how strongly we hope our children will thrive and flourish. With the enormous challenges facing our world today, I am worried, as many are, about the world we will be leaving them. How can we best equip our children to navigate their challenges today and the world's challenges tomorrow? For centuries, meditation and yoga have provided a gateway to calmness and insights that can guide our actions and interactions as we strengthen our health and well-being. To protect and support them, and for our collective future, these teachings must reach our children. Dr. Mason and her team of dedicated yoga-meditation teachers have written a manual to help schools implement practices that can make a profound difference for each and every child and for our planet. Filled with hundreds of photos and time-tested yoga sets, breathing exercises, and meditations, Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement provides a pathway to a better, brighter future as it addresses students' and teachers' immediate needs. This book will be useful for yoga instructors as well as public and private school teachers, school counselors, and administrators. I encourage you to read, practice, and reflect, watching in wonder at the significant improvements in your own happiness, resilience, and well-being as well as in all the children in your life!" -- Amrit Singh Khalsa "Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement offers a comprehensive and compassionate approach to personal growth, awakened education, and enlightened living. As a practitioner of Kundalini yoga and mindfulness I have found these practices to be complementary and supportive of one another and important in developing a whole human being in the journey of evolution. This book provides a clear understanding of how to integrate these teachings in a public educational setting as well as in an environment dedicated to expanding consciousness. I look forward to using this as a constant companion in my teaching and as a source of inspiration as I travel on a path of self-awakening." -- Mahan Rishi Singh Khalsa, D.C. "Convincing research has demonstrated that our children and adolescents are experiencing an almost universal burden of mental and behavioral health challenges that they will carry with them into adulthood. Our schools are not providing the strategies and skills necessary for successful coping with the worldwide epidemic of unmanaged chronic stress. This book provides a comprehensive rationale, description, and instruction on the implementation of the yoga-based practices of physical exercises, breath regulation and relaxation techniques, and meditation and mindfulness into schools that research is demonstrating improves the stress and emotion regulation and overall mental and behavioral health necessary for our children to succeed and prosper." -- Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, PhD "In today's ever-changing world, learning cannot take place without paying attention to the well-being of K-12 students and teachers. This powerful book grounds the reader with the scientific understanding of why the connection of mind, body, and heart can enhance one's capacity to navigate daily stressors. It also contains essential strategies and activities that lift the knowledge off the pages and into personal and professional practice, as well as yoga-mindfulness-meditation exercises and teaching tips on how to effectively lead and guide others. Authored by a village of exceptional individuals with years of experience in the field of social-emotional well-being, this book will influence systemic change in education and, in turn, positively impact the health and resilience of future generations." -- Theo Koffler "I have had the pleasure of working with Chris Mason and have benefitted from her expertise in engaging educators in much needed reforms. We need more of the authors' vision and the holistic, human-centered approach described in this book in our work. As we move to prevent and alleviate the impact of trauma, we must build skills like mindfulness to best prepare current and future generations in our ever-changing world." -- Jesse Kohler "This is an excellent, informative, and well-researched book. It is a must-read for all future and current teachers, school counselors, and administrators and is without question one of the best books written on the topic. Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement is a valuable guide to improve teacher training, schools, and personal happiness and will be added to my classes' reading lists." -- Dr. Sandra McElroy "This book is beautiful in its clarity. The authors are lifelong practitioners with a profound understanding of the practices they teach. They manage to distill, demystify, and make accessible some very confusing terrain. In this book educators will find everything they need to know to help their students (and themselves) cultivate greater happiness, resilience, and well-being. But this book is more than that. It is one of the most precise expositions of mindfulness available. It can and should be used by everyone interested in understanding and offering mindfulness to others." -- Michele Milan "Too often we forget that our personal and professional well-being and health are directly related to our individual efforts to remain mindful, reflective, and balanced. Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement is an outstanding resource for all who wish to continuously learn, grow, and improve. The advantage here is that this work provides the reader with practical and replicable steps and skills to increase one's overall well-being. This is a must read for anyone interested in elevating and enriching both personal and shared experiences." -- Joseph L. Ricca, EdD, Superintendent of Schools "The practice of using meditation, mindfulness, and movement should be in every educator's toolkit of strategies under the labels of self-preservation and decision-making. This is the book they need to learn these stress-reducing techniques. The book is situated on a stable foundation of theory and what theory looks like in practice. The authors provide validating research and align it with evidence-based activities educators can easily incorporate during their working hours, and they demonstrate how these techniques decrease the risks of empathic distress and burnout while increasing an educator's capacity to become more compassionate and impartial when making judgments about their students." -- Victoria E. Romero "The comprehensive and heartfelt exploration of both the scientific evidence base and practical hands-on approaches found within the pages of this book will support teachers, parents, and students to foster learning environments where everyone can flourish and thrive. The thoughtful narrative includes reviewing the research, developing personal practice, curating an effective teaching space, and implementing practical activities and makes this book a pragmatic and approachable resource for both those new to the field and longer-term practitioners." -- Elli Weisbaum, PhD "A lovely, personal, deeply practical book for educators across the ages aimed directly at supporting mindful practices: practices of movement, of curriculum integration of mindfulness, and pausing--in the midst of it all! A special bonus are photos that accompany basic yoga movements, key principles in every chapter, and hundreds and hundreds of resources! What a gift to all educators during moments when our sector is experiencing enormous stress and volatility." -- Dr. Kirsten Olson, MCC