Table Of Content‘This is an applied book concerned with promoting mental wellbeing and emotional health
in the classroom, for teachers as well as for students. This is an applied book rooted in
ancient and timeless wisdom, refined in the caves and on the mountains of antiquity, and
honed in busy and noisy urban environments and in the real life of contemporary class-
rooms. This is a book about mindfulness that could make a real difference to the way in
which teachers and students experience life in the classroom.’
- Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick
‘I totally endorse and support inspiration for children about which Billie writes, which is so
needed in this world with so many machines that children are attracted to. We need to help
to balance through being in nature, meditations, simple conversations around the dining
room table with family, and everything that removes us from the electronic age for a time
so that we can be. We need to balance with simple living and simple learning. Billie’s book
will help many parents and teachers, and is an important read.’
- Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, teacher of Kundalini Yoga and a pioneer in the field
of pre-natal yoga
‘A passionate call to remember what education should be: a journey where each child as a
unique person is valued and allowed to find their path of development: where they can flour-
ish and find joy. A reminder of educators’ responsibility to see education as more than facts
and exam preparation – to see education as beauty, as the tools each child needs to guide
their own learning. This book is a treasure box of ideas about the person, about education,
and it generously shares with us dozens of meditation exercises that can help us and our
children learn about ourselves and develop the empathy our world so desperately needs.’
- Karem Roitman, lecturer, international development consultant and Director of
Thinkers Meet Up
‘This magnificent teacher’s handbook that instructs young people how to “BE” rather than
how to “DO” is revolutionary to the educational system. The importance of this book can-
not be overemphasized. With just enough personal story to make it relatable and easy to
understand, one finds here the exact key to unlock the skills required of the next generation,
as it is only in the stillness of meditation that one finds one’s muse. Creativity will be the
principal power needed by our descendants to solve the problems of the future. This book
by Billie Krstovic is an indispensable teaching tool.’
- Elizabeth B. Jenkins, writer, spiritual teacher and author of The Return of the Inka
Using Mindfulness to Improve
Learning: 40 Meditation
Exercises for School and Home
Written by an experienced school and meditation teacher, this book is packed with tried
and tested mindfulness exercises and relevant follow-up wellbeing, pastoral and academic
activities for anyone working with young people. It includes discussions about educa-
tion and wellbeing, anecdotes from real life experience and numerous testimonies from
students and teachers, as well as easy to follow instructions and plenty of useful in-depth
explanations. All activities in this book link to a variety of school subjects, including science,
maths, philosophy, music, art and sport.
Divided into two parts, the book explores:
• What mindfulness and grounding are
• How mindfulness and grounding work at home, in daily life and in education
• How teachers can use mindfulness and grounding in the classroom and how parents
can support mindfulness and grounding at home
• What effects can be expected from mindfulness meditation
This book is an invaluable resource for secondary teachers, youth workers, therapists and
parents and can be used in classrooms, pastoral offices, youth clubs or at home.
Billie Krstovic is a qualified teacher with decades of teaching experience and works as the
Head of Social Sciences in a secondary school in Britain, where she teaches Psychology and
mindfulness. She has 40 years of experience in the fields of meditation, yoga, martial arts
and healing.
Using Mindfulness
to Improve Learning:
40 Meditation Exercises
for School and Home
BILLIE KRSTOVIC
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Billie Krstovic
The right of Billie Krstovic to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-138-36053-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-36055-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-43307-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Dante and Avenir
by Cenveo® Publishier Services
Tara ♥, remember the beauty. Always. xx
Contents
Part one 1
Introductory word for teachers 3
How to use this book and what is inside 4
What happened first? 5
How I got to do this 7
Why I wrote this book 9
Young people and their self- and spiritual development 12
Happiness in schools 15
Why should they do ‘nothing’? 17
Who is responsible? The role of beauty and positive
narrative in young people’s development 20
A short word about emotions 23
Why is calling it emotional health better than mental health? 25
What do students want in the 21st century? 27
Behaviour in the classroom and wellbeing of students 29
‘Good girl,’ ‘bad boy’ myths and other traps in education 31
What about teachers? 35
Can a stressed-out teacher spread happiness? 39
About mindfulness 43
What mindfulness is and what it isn’t – demystifying
modern misconceptions 43
