Yoga and Pedagogical Mindfulness in Higher Education

Abstract

The practice of yoga is only one route towards the development of mindfulness and in this chapter, a yogic approach is applied to teaching at a university in Australia. An autoethnographic methodology was used and short narratives are inserted through the chapter in order to show how mindfulness was performed by a lecturer at the beginning of semester in a busy and diverse academic environment. The author’s practice of yoga, and knowledge of yoga philosophy, was used to support the lecturing/pedagogical role in higher education while teaching a unit about the workplace and well-being to a class of future early childhood teachers. A further layer of analysis emerged through this link to early childhood education and to the philosophy of Levinas, whose ethical thought encourages a consideration of the face of the Other. From the beginning of their professional life, teachers are required to acknowledge and accept difference and diversity. In this case, the lecturer reflects on how this works in terms of mindful practice and suggests that the complexities of the pedagogical relationship can be transformed by bringing yoga principles into the classroom.