Cultivation of mindfulness: Promoting holistic learning and wellbeing in education

Following the trend of globalization, we live in a fragmented and alienated world. Many young people and adolescent suffer from depression, negative emotions, and low attention span in this age of multi-tasking and distraction. In the past decades, mindfulness that is a meditation skill has been broadly adapted and implemented as an effective healing tool to address stress, depression, and negative emotions in hospitals, corporations, professional sports, and even prisons in the West. A growing number of scientific researchers have shown that incorporating mindfulness into daily life is significant in benefiting health, relaxation, attention span, social relationships and creating a sense of wellbeing. Within this context, it is evident that mindfulness practice is helpful in enhancing the academic performance of students through a holistic approach by developing the skills of emotional, bodily, and interpersonal awareness. Curriculum design and leadership training incorporating mindfulness for learning in different ways have been adapted in tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools. This chapter demonstrates the significance of mindfulness in holistic education, reviews related researches, and discusses its further applications for promoting holistic learning, spirituality, wellbeing, intuitive knowing, mind–body–spirit, and relationships by reconnecting children to the world. Copyright © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.