The application of mindfulness-based interventions in school settings has increased considerably in recent years, showing that differences between the characteristics of programmes can impact on the receptivity and effectiveness of mindfulness training. However, few studies have explored the learning process from the perspective of the children and adolescents who participate in mindfulness practice. The goal of this paper is to analyse the subjective experience of a group of adolescents following the completion of a mindfulness-based intervention developed for schools in Chile. The intervention studied is the “.b curriculum”, which is part of the Mindfulness in School Project (MiSP) developed in the UK. Twenty adolescents participated in semi-structured interviews within their school, in which three key areas were explored: pedagogy, perceived effects, and mechanisms of action, each of them being analysed from the perspective of thematic analysis. The results support the view that pedagogy is a very relevant consideration in the implementation, development, and efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions within the school context. We propose that the inclusion of structure, contents, process/mindful practices, and teachers’ expertise provides the pedagogical-relational framework required for students to successfully develop mindfulness skills, which enables them to experience their cognitive, emotional, and somatic effects. These effects are linked to self-regulation strategies, based on paying attention to one’s somatic experience with kindness and curiosity, which works as an attentional anchor. It is hoped that these results will contribute to the spread of mindfulness research in adolescents in Latin America, thus facilitating cross-cultural and international comparisons.

Este artículo realiza una revisión teórica de las últimas investigaciones en relación a mindfulness en educación, especialmente relacionada con los aportes de esta práctica para el cuidado docente y para el cultivo de una presencia más plena por parte de los profesores y su influencia en la totalidad del proceso formativo, poniendo especial énfasis en el cultivo de algunas actitudes: atencionales (no juicio, mente de principiante y esfuerzo justo) y relacionales (amabilidad, empatía y compasión). A partir de la revisión de importantes investigaciones recientes, este trabajo propone un modelo cuyo propósito es orientar distintas intervenciones basadas en lo que en este trabajo llamamos un “enfoque mindfulness”, enfatizando la necesidad de su carácter sistémico, más allá de eventos puntuales, con el propósito de influir en la totalidad del sistema educativo hacia una cultura del bienestar.

Over the past decade or so within this journal, there have been critical debates concerning the role of mindfulness within education, the influence of neoliberalism on education in general and well-being interventions specifically, and the relevance of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger for critiquing modernity including the nature and purpose afforded education. In this article, we propose that these debates are sufficiently interrelated to develop a more unified argument. We will show how a Heideggerian perspective is conceptually rich, in both its heritage, as it draws upon both East-Asian wisdom and western thinking, and its engagement, as it confronts the implications of what Heidegger called a ‘technical-era’, for offering such a unified critique. The focus of this critique is on instrumental forms of mindfulness (mindfulness ‘in’ education), which when framed by neoliberalism has rather narrow goals concerning individual well-being and performance. In contrast, more critical and integral forms of mindfulness (mindfulness ‘as’ education) offer the potential for more holistic and authentic learning. Throughout the article, we discuss how Heideggerian philosophy offers a number of useful concepts (e.g., enframing, Dasein, authenticity, meditative thinking), which are able to both critique the instrumentalisation of approaches like mindfulness by neoliberalism and speak to more holistic education oriented toward more authentic being in the world.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can result in positive “side effects,” such as concentration and individual well-being, highly desirable to schools operating within a neoliberalist agenda emphasizing performativity. However, employing a critical literature review, we argue that adverse side effects also occur, though under-researched. We engage critical and systems theories, within a broader complexity paradigm, to show how MBIs manifest as a form of “iatrogenesis,” whereby a “sleight of hand” occurs, offsetting systemic fallibility as individual culpability. Iatrogenesis provides both “cancer” and “cure,” the source of much stress and the means to cope, leaving systems under-critiqued whilst the individual is expected to adjust to this logic. Guised like this, MBIs may do more harm than good, obfuscating deeper transformation of self and society. We conclude by uniting with those who argue the need to embrace more authentic and holistic versions of mindfulness for individual and social transformation to occur.