Christine Mason, PhD, an educational psychologist,is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of educational reform, visioning, trauma and mindfulness, teacher and principal mentoring, and special education. She is also a yoga, mindfulness, meditation instructor who was trained in New Mexico and certified in 2001, with a Level II yoga certification in Conscious Communication in 2005. From 2005-2009, she was chair of the Education Committee for Miri Piri Academy, an international yoga boarding school in Amritsar, India. In 2009, she served for 5 months as the interim principal at Miri Piri. Since being certified to teach yoga, Christine has taught 2-5 yoga and meditation classes weekly in local community centers and for the Fairfax County Parks and Recreation program. She is a member of the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association and is also certified in Radiant Child Yoga.

Christine is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Educational Improvement, an intentional collaborative of educators and researchers actively engaging to create a transformational system of education focused on collective healing and holistic learning. We identify, curate, develop, and scale-up sustainable practices, such as Heart Centered Learning and Leadership and student-led reform, that nurture family and community connectedness, well-being, equity, and justice.

Christine is also the Chief Advisor to the Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative, with Yale University's New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. Her time as chair of Miri Piri's education committee and her multiple visits to India, as well as her experiences networking for transformative educational change and researching exemplary educational programs, serve as the foundation for her beliefs and efforts to bring compassionate practices to all aspects of education.

Early in her career, Christine also was a classroom teacher and a professor, teaching courses in curriculum, inclusion, social emotional learning, educational assessment, and educational research. She has also served as Associate Executive Director of Research and Professional Development at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP); Director of Professional Development for the Student Support Center in Washington, D.C.; and the Senior Director for Research and Development with the Council for Exceptional Children. Christine is lead author of several books and articles, including Mindfulness Practices: Cultivating Heart Centered Communities Where Children Focus and Flourish, Mindful School Communities: The 5 Cs of Nurturing Heart Centered Learning, Visioning Onward: A Guide for ALL Schools, and Compassionate School Practices: Fostering Children's Mental Health and Well-Being. She is also the primary author and developer of an innovative process for developing compassionate school cultures: The School Compassionate Culture Analytical Tool for Educators (S-CCATE).

Foreword by Ruschelle Reuben
Preface
Resiliency and Healing in the Moment: Mindfulness
How to Use Cultivating Happiness, Resiliency, and Well-Being
Glossary
Cultivating Happiness, Resiliency, and Well-Being - The Book
Key principles
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
List of Online Resources
Part I: Introduction
Chapter 1: Research Support for Mindful Breath Work, Meditation, and Yoga Movements
Reaching for Stars
Research Base Supporting Mindfulness, Yoga, and Meditation with Children
Alleviating Stress
Anatomy and Body Alignment
Start with Breath
Impact of Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation on the Endocrine System
Yoga Postures and Alignment
Heart Centered Meditation
Principles for Success
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 2: A Few Basics
Strengthening Our Own Metacognition Through Mindfulness Practice
Heart Centered Connections
Mindfulness Games
Restorative Practices - Building Resiliency, Building Community
Who Can Teach Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation in Schools?
Teaching Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 3: Teacher Stress and Teacher Practice
Teacher Stress and Burnout Were Alarmingly High Before COVID
Your Own Daily Practice
Where Are You?
Observing Your Progress
Creating a Yoga-Meditation-Mindfulness Practice
Using Your Practice to Plan for Teaching Students
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 4: Organizing Space, Materials, and Instruction
I. Preparing to Teach: Yoga Space and Materials
Places to Access Yoga Supplies and Materials for Schools
Resources to Guide Yoga Instruction
II. Components of Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation Instruction
Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation Instruction
Your Presence and Your Voice
When You Teach
Teaching Meditation
Students as Co-Leaders
III. Integrating Yoga, Meditation, and Mindfulness with Academic Instruction
A Mindfulness Intervention Room
Developmental Stages and Appropriateness
Adaptations for Younger Students
Yoga Before or After School
Progress and Impact
Mindful Reflection
Part II: Heart Centered Learning - the Five Cs
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 5: Overview of the 5 Cs
Practices for Life
The 5 Cs Chapters
Curricular Context
Student Motivation and Accommodations
A Few More Yoga-Mindfulness-Meditation Basics
As You Teach - Timing and Pacing
Infusing Practices throughout Classrooms and Schools
Are You Ready?
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 6: Consciousness
Teacher Notes
Consciousness and Self-Awareness
Curricular Context
Consciousness Warm-Up
Breath Work
Yoga Set: Posture and Movement
Meditations
Consciousness Curriculum Integration Planner
Consciousness Opens Us to Compassion
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 7: Compassion
Teacher Notes
Curricular Context
Compassion Warm-Ups
Breath Work
Yoga Set: Posture and Movement
Meditations
Compassion Curriculum Integration Planner
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 8: Confidence
Teacher Notes
Confidence Fosters Mental Health, Well-Being, and Happiness
Curricular Context
Confidence Warm-Ups
Breath Work
Yoga Set: Posture and Movement
Meditations
Confidence Curriculum Integration Planner
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 9: Courage
Teacher Notes
Finding Our Voice, Living in the Present, and Co-Creating
Curricular Context
Confidence Warm-Ups
Breath Work
Yoga Set: Posture and Movement
Meditations
Courage Curriculum Integration Planner
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 10: Community
Teacher Notes
Warm, Supportive Environments for Learning
Expanding our Community Consciousness, Creating Transformative Change
Curricular Context
Community Includes Families
Community Warm-Ups
Breath Work
Yoga Set: Posture and Movement
Meditations
Community Curriculum Integration Planner
Mindful Reflection
Part III: Leadership
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 11: Mindful Educational Leadership: Practices to Transform You and Your Leadership
The Inner Life of Leaders Linked to Outer Life of Leadership
Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
Mindfulness Practices for Educational Leaders
Mindful Reflection
Chapter 12: Being a Mindfulness Coordinator
Mindful Leadership
Montgomery County Public Schools Mindfulness Program
Accomplishments
The Coalition for the Future of Education
Mindful Reflection
Sources for Yoga Breathe Work, Kriyas and Meditations
References