Efficacy of Mindfulness in the Classroom

This article contextualizes mindfulness and examines a portion of the literature on mindfulness based interventions in the classroom. Mindfulness or the result of intentional, moment-tomoment awareness in a kind and discerning way can be cultivated with practice. There are many different mindfulness practices which can be utilized in a classroom environment. Some of the popular mindfulness practices are grounded in Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program which incorporates sitting meditation, mindful yoga, mindful eating and the body scan. Mindfulness practices can be modified to fit the classroom setting and the grade level of students. With a growth in the number of studies involving mindfulness in the classroom this article explores the question of its efficacy with children and seeks to answer the question: is mindfulness in the classroom effective and what are the studies reporting?