Submission Type
Special Issue (Contemplative K-12 Classroom for Wisdom and Peace)
Abstract
Mindfulness practice is trending in schools. Within secondary education, it is oftentimes introduced as meditation for present-moment awareness of the self to support academic concerns. However, mindfulness practice in its original conception is a holistic way of cultivating human well-being towards flourishing. It is a practice that aims for awareness to the entirety of human subjective and intersubjective experiencing as it is emerging. In doing so, mindfulness evolves from a coping tool into a rich contemplative practice. This paper will make the case that mindulness as a contemplative practice facilitates the cultivation of embodied wisdom and that such a practice is inherently compatible with the needs and aims of students, particularly fitting with the Canadian province of British Columbia’s K-12 core competencies.
Furthermore, the paper introduces qualitative research that the author conducted online, which showcases what an emergent mindfulness practice moving towards embodied wisdom can look like. The constructionist multi-case study demonstrates how three secondary school students intra-act with a mindfulness practice underpinned by a contemplative framework. It captures how participants and the practice evolved in tandem, and how participants have grown in self-trust by grappling with core issues. The findings illuminate the practice’s potential to nurture personal transformation and contribute to schooling and mental health domains.
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Voulgaris, Mel A.V.
(2026)
"Beyond Coping in High School: An Emergent Mindfulness Practice Towards Embodied Wisdom,"
Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education: Vol. 3:
Iss.
2, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/jche.03.02.04
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jche/vol3/iss2/4
Included in
Contemplative Education Commons, Holistic Education Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons