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Integrated Studies Center for Adult and Regional Education
Spring 2017
Mindfulness in Learning
Melissa Davis
mhudson87@gmail.com
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Running head: MINDFULNESS IN LEARNING 1
Mindfulness in Learning
Melissa Davis
Murray State University
19 April, 2017
Running head: MINDFULNESS IN LEARNING 2
Abstract
This paper focuses on the concepts of mindfulness and how it can be applied to early education
to reduce stress, encourage positive behavior, and help students be more empathetic successful
productive human beings. The mindful based curriculum includes mindful movement, mindful
eating, mindful breathing, mindful rest, self-regulation skills, empathy, and compassion building
skills. Teaching these skills to youths has proven effective in increasing self-esteem, lowering
stress levels, reducing bullying and increasing compassion. Children that are taught in an
environment that promotes mindfulness are more likely to succeed according to research. With
an introduction to the history of mindfulness and the mindfulness movement in Western culture,
this paper gives a full and comprehensive understanding of not only why mindfulness is a
valuable tool but also demonstrates how studies reflect positive results which encourage further
research and application.
Running head: MINDFULNESS IN LEARNING 3
When a child enters the world they have no knowledge of what will be expected of them
in this life. They have yet to experience the stress of test taking, meeting deadlines, and any
instances of mental health challenges have yet to emerge. With the exception of special needs
children, babies have very basic needs that their caregivers must attend to. Despite differences in
culture and circumstance, children respond well to more relaxed, soothing methods much better
than they do stressful, erratic responses, which often only succeed in making the child more fitful
and the caregiver more stressed. With this is mind, it stands to reason that children, as they grow
and become more aware of the world and the stresses in their environment, should use these
early methods to cope with the world around them. The concepts found in mindfulness can be
applied to teach students to handle the stresses of not only school, but life as well in such a way
that they can be more productive, empathetic, and successful throughout their lives.
School age children are, on average, energetic and constantly learning. They learn from
teachers, parents, peers, and in general the world to which they are exposed. If they are only
exposed to chaos and lack of structure and true understanding, they will have a difficult time
finding clam and focus within themselves. Mindfulness, in conjunction with other mindful
elements, goes back to those early days of calm soothing and purposeful thought and turn away
from the over sensitized nature of the world most children find themselves trying to learn and
grow. In order to understand how these practices work it is important to learn what exactly
mindfulness and extended elements of mindfulness are and how they apply to learning.
History of Mindfulness
The concept of mindfulness has its roots in the Buddhist faith. According to the Buddhist
faith, it is wholly important to know the mind, train the mind, and free the mind. Through
combined meditation and purposeful movements, those following these lessons become aware of
Running head: MINDFULNESS IN LEARNING 4
how they think and what drives those thoughts. While this is the first step, it is the cornerstone
for building the foundation of this effective teaching. For instance, when mindfulness instructor
and writer Ed Halliwell began first exploring mindfulness as a study, he realized he had a pattern
of rushing through life and activities, both mental and physical, then collapsing in what he
perceived as a restful state; though it was really exhaustion on several levels. “The more I
engaged with mindful movement practices, the more I felt it was showing me my habitual style
of engagement. Instead of avoiding the unpleasant feelings that arose when I slowed down, I was
now paying attention to them, seeing how they affected me, and choosing to stay with them”
(Halliwell, 2013, para. 3). This revelation is the first step in the Buddhist process of becoming
and practicing being mindful. According to Buddhist teachings, to truly know the mind a person
must spend time with the mind, evaluating not only what they think but how and why they think.
This does not mean the person is intent on changing their thoughts, but rather just being
aware that those thoughts and reactions exist (Fronsdal, 2006, para. 4). A good analogy might be
a person being in a crowded room or event where everyone is busy and moving, engaging, and
they stop within themselves apart from the activity and realize while they are a part of the swirl
of excitement, they are also a separate single observer, calm and still in the moment of the
excitement.
The next step in the mindfulness process is training the mind. This concept is a bit more
difficult because it requires the person to accept and forgive themselves for the way they think. It
can be a difficult process because in general people would rather think they have a healthy
outlook on life and deal with obstacles well, when in many cases that may not be so. Perhaps a
person is quick to anger or become frustrated when faced with challenges great or small. Perhaps
they would rather “not dwell” on an issue when really they are just avoiding dealing with the
Running head: MINDFULNESS IN LEARNING 5
problem. All of these responses are very natural and to a degree encouraged by the world in
general. They are however counterproductive to the mindfulness process. Training the mind
focuses on facing these realities for what they are and forgiving the self and treating the self with
kindness. This allows for the practitioner to open themselves to further training which benefits
their overall outlook.
The main method of training the mind is active meditation. Active meditation does not
mean forced. Rather, it is more of a letting go process in the beginning; then later once a level of
acceptance and understanding has been reached, a more focused study of an attitude. (Fronsdal,
2006, para. 8-9). Being able to change the way a person thinks becomes a very powerful tool.
They may be able to find acceptance in chronic pain and find ways to let some of that pain go. A
person plagued by depression may find the strength in their battle instead of seeing it as a
weakness. Change and acceptance of perception of self can lead to change and acceptance in the
external world.
The last step in truly being mindful is learning to free the mind and thus the self.
Buddhist believe the things people hold onto hold them back form true peace. The processes of
learning how a person thinks and being aware, of forgiving themselves for how they see things
and finding better approaches, leads to a fuller understanding of what they are doing to hold
themselves back form true peace and understanding. “The more we know ourselves, the easier it
is both to train ourselves and to know what needs to be released. The more our minds are trained,
the easier it is to know ourselves and the more strength and wisdom we have to let go. And the
more we let go, the fewer the obstructions to understanding ourselves and the easier it will be to
train the mind” (Fronsdal, 2006, para. 10). This concept can be applied to every aspect of life.
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Society is bombarded with images of how they should think, look, or act on a daily basis.
There is no doubt it has in impact of how people perceive themselves and those around them as
well as how they react to these destructive ideas. This leads to fad diets, erratic behavior,
bullying, self-doubt and an increasing amount of desired instant gratification just to function and
feel fulfilled for most people. With the uses of these methods and tools practitioners of
mindfulness are able to have a better understanding of their bodies and their selves so that they
may cope better with the world around them. The lessons of mindfulness in the Buddhist faith
provide the chance for the practitioners to not only find inner peace, but to also handle the
stresses of the world around them with ease. Benefits have been has proven to extend into
medical conditions, learning environments, mental issues, and even prisons.
These elements are the foundation for the mindfulness movement. They are only the
beginning however. As all movements evolve, the mindfulness movement has evolved to include
other elements that build on the foundation principles for a more complete experience.
Elements of Mindfulness
The mindfulness movement as evolved from simple breathing and meditation techniques
to a broader definition of activities. While the core of this movement is breathing and thought,
those utilizing these methods have discovered ways to take the core values and apply them to
eating, movement, emotional awareness, and rest. Particularly in the Compassionate Schools
Program, which will be discussed later, these additional aspects of mindfulness are proving to be
the foundation of an overall system benefitting many students, teachers, and even parents. To
better understand why these other aspects of mindfulness are so important, it is first necessary to
have a full understanding of mindful eating, mindful movement, emotional awareness, and
mindful rest.
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It is hard to pinpoint a beginning to the mindful eating concept, as it seems to have
evolved with the mindfulness movement, but the core values and principles behind mindful
eating are very clear. As discussed earlier, mindfulness is the act of being very in tune mentally,
physically and emotionally with one’s body. This translates to eating in that when someone eats
mindfully, they are also in tune in those same ways. “Applied to eating, mindfulness includes
noticing the colors, smells, flavors, and textures of your food; chewing slowly; getting rid of
distractions like TV or reading; and learning to cope with guilt and anxiety about food. Some
elements of mindful eating hark back to Horace Fletcher, an early 20th century food faddist who
believed chewing food thoroughly would solve many different kinds of health problems”
(Harvard Health, 2016). What this means in practice mentally is, taking the time to prepare a
meal thinking about the food to be eaten, how it will benefit the body and being present in the
moment to make good food choices. A common problem with many people is simply eating for
the sake of eating. Eating is a social activity for many people. Eating is something to do while
watching TV or reading. It becomes habit rather than necessity.
This is where mindful eating is very different. Mindful eating is being aware what one
eats and why they are eating. Also making healthy food choices instead of convenient ones. Leo
Babauta, a practitioner of mindful eating explains this concept from personal experience. “What
I ate (junk) was a big part of it, but just as big a part was how I ate — emotionally and
mindlessly. These bad eating habits built up over time, after years of eating to socialize, to
relieve stress, to make myself feel better, to satisfy cravings. When I finally started changing my
eating habits, I realized how bad things were. I realized how hard it was to change, simply
because eating was filling so many needs, and because I ate mostly without thinking” (Babauta,
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n.d.). When thought is aligned with eating it becomes more than an activity and becomes part of
taking care of the whole body.
To mentally be mindful while eating can be done by planning out meals based on sound
nutritional principles. Instead of buying the frozen dinner that can be quickly made and eaten in
front of the TV, selecting fresh vegetables, fruits and meats that take time to prepare is a better
option. This allows the person to make the conscience decision to eat instead of it being
something convenient to do when they are bored perhaps. Also, slowing down when eating is an
important aspect of eating mindfully. “Digestion involves a complex series of hormonal signals
between the gut and the nervous system, and it seems to take about 20 minutes for the brain to
register satiety (fullness). If someone eats too quickly, satiety may occur after overeating instead
of putting a stop to it” (Harvard Health, 2016). By slowing down while eating the body has time
to register when it is actually full, and the person has time to think about what they are eating,
how it was prepared, and why they are eating among other ideas. Another step in eating
mindfully is changing some eating habits, such as eating with a non-dominate hand, using
chopsticks, taking small bites and chewing well, and even eating silently while thinking about
the food and the whole process of how it came to be on the table. All of these ideas require the
person to really focus and be in tune with their body. (Harvard Health, 2016).
The emotional aspect of mindful eating is tied to the mental, but has its own benefits and
methods. Some people eat to fill and emotional void from depression, stress, and other mental
issues. These problems can result in binge eating as well as guilt associated with food. A study
was conducted in 2006 on ten over weight men to explore the benefits of mindful eating on the
test group. They were given six weekly two-hour group classes (with two monthly follow-up
classes). Content included training in mindfulness meditation, mindful eating, and group
Running head: MINDFULNESS IN LEARNING 9
discussion, with emphasis on awareness of body sensations, emotions, and triggers to overeat.
(Dalen, J., Smith, B., Shelly, B., Sloan, A., Leahigh, L., &Gegay, D., 2010). What they found in
conclusion was the men in the study had significantly positive results to the mindful eating
approach. “Ten obese patients enrolled with a mean BMI of 36.9 kg/m2 [SD ± 6.2]. The mean
weight was 101 kg/m2 and the mean age was 44 years (SD = 8.7; range = 31–62). Compared to
baseline data, participants showed statistically significant increases in measures of mindfulness
and cognitive restraint around eating, and statistically significant decreases in weight, eating
disinhibition, binge eating, depression, perceived stress, physical symptoms, negative affect, and
C-reactive protein” (Dalen, et al., 2010).
Other studies support the link between emotional eating and how using mindful eating
can provide therapeutic results, decreasing not only the binge eating, but also the guilt associated
with binges, which in turn can, in some cases, help with other associated problems such as
depression and eating disorders. “Psychologist Jean Kristeller at Indiana State University and
colleagues at Duke University conducted an NIH-funded study of mindful eating techniques for
the treatment of binge eating. The randomized controlled study included 150 binge eaters and
compared a mindfulness-based therapy to a standard psychoeducational treatment and a control
group. Both active treatments produced declines in binging and depression, but the mindfulness-
based therapy seemed to help people enjoy their food more and have less sense of struggle about
controlling their eating. Those who meditated more (both at mealtimes and throughout the day)
got more out of the program” (Harvard Health, 2016).
As with many aspects of mindfulness, the mental and emotional are tied into the physical.
Part of mindful eating is listening to the body and understanding the reason behind eating. As
stated earlier, some people eat out of habit “mindlessly”. Mindful eating encourages asking the
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questions, “Am I actually hungry?” and “Am I full?” These are very important questions to ask
and consider before simply eating. It may be that the person is bored or even thirsty. Taking the
time to consider the motivations behind eating is an important step in eating mindfully. It allows
the person to take a self-assessment in order to make better, healthier food choices.
Mindful eating has applications in many areas that can benefit not only the average
person, but especially children. By teaching children the principles of mindful eating from an
early age, with parents taking an active role in setting the example, children will potentially
avoid learning poor eating habits, have over all better health, lower chance for obesity, and
generally have a better relationship with food and their bodies as supported by previous
research. As with most learned behaviors, good and bad, the earlier they are taught the longer
then tend to last.
Mindful eating has shown to be a very beneficial practice that when utilized has
resounding positive results supported by studies. Among the more concrete benefits of mindful
eating are, being aware when hunger occurs and when satiation has been reached as this is
important for proper weight management. Other benefits include learning to enjoy tasting food,
discovering healthy foods, and realizing less healthy options no longer taste as good and actually
made the person feel more run down than healthy alternatives. Learning which foods best fuel
the body to allow for more activity and a better over all feel throughout the day is a considerable
benefit. All of these benefits translate into a better relationship with food emotionally due to
better physical and mental outlook towards food (Babauta, n.d.). When a person feels better and
looks better they are more likely to take the positive attitude and apply it to other parts of their
life; which is key to mindfulness in general.
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As important as what is put into the body is what the body does in reaction to mental and
emotional triggers. Mindful movement is the conscience awareness of the body and what it is
doing. This may sound like a simple idea, but it is less common for a person, not accustomed to
mindful movement, to really think about what their body is doing when they do an activity. Most
people simply just do. There is no thought as to the process of movement. Some activities such
as yoga, tai chi, martial arts, and even dance do require much more thought towards movement.
For that reason these types of activities are used in some mindfulness programs to find a deeper
understanding of self and being mindful.
Mindful movement is more than a good yoga class. As with mindful eating, a singular
definition is more difficult to develop. Mindful movement is part meditation, part listening to the
body on a more focused level, part relaxation of the mind by relaxing the body, and other
