Mindfulness in Tertiary Educational Spaces: Holistic Pedagogy in Action

• In Event: Mindfulness, Self-Care and (Re)Imagination in Higher Education: Practices, Perspectives, and Processes?

Abstract

Mindfulness has entered the educational space and is being given increased attention with regard to the tertiary sector (Bright & Pokorny, 2013; Hyland, 2016). Questions have been asked about the appropriate introduction of mindfulness in education at all levels (Lillard, 2011), and in interdisciplinary contexts (Walker & Mann, 2016). In this research I was curious to find out what aspects of teaching are supported by holistic mindful practice in and beyond the classroom.

Taking Parker Palmer’s (1998, p.110) advice to heart, that “I cannot know in another being what I do not know in myself”, an autoethnographic approach was taken in this research (Stewart, 2007). I wished to find out what the affective power of a particular mindful practice might have on my pedagogy in the tertiary classroom. Autoethnography implies a focus on the “body/thoughts/feelings” (Gannon, 2006, p. 475) of the researcher. Lecturers are constantly being challenged to find ways of attracting students to class in a time when online approaches to teaching and learning are privileged.

This work takes a perspective of “immanence” (Lenz Taguchi, 2012) and reflects an attempt to think of teaching as an event that supports inter-connectedness. Taking Levinas’ notion of the ‘face’ I ask if I am mindful in my relationships with the Other in terms of caring, compassion and empathy; what does alterity means when teaching large groups of international students; and what might be special about my interactions and relationships? I found that focusing on certain holistic techniques underpinned by a regular yoga practice brought active enjoyment to the class instead of teaching becoming a source of discontent. Stewart (2007, p. 42) suggests that “shifting forms of commonality and difference are wedged into daily interactions”.

Building on previous research that found closeness, or ‘withness’, to be an aspect of everyday spirituality (Author 1, 2008), this latest exploration put the focus onto my own life instead of introducing mindfulness to students directly in an effort to change them. Students were partners in holistic pedagogy in action and this reflected my desire for the transformation that underpins mindful practice, according to Pantanjali this includes accessing “truthfulness, purity and a loving nature” (Iyengar, 1993, p. 94). All elements are brought together in a discussion about the importance of commitment towards a mindful pedagogy with an emphasis on commitment to oneself and commitment to others.

Author

• Jane Elizabeth Bone, Monash University