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Seeking Kairos: Creating Oases of Rest through Contemplative Practice in the Elementary Classroom

Kaisu Aldom

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education 2026 DOI: 10.25035/jche.03.02.02 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Topics Meditation
Key findings Rest and restfulness can be introduced as a contemplative practice in elementary classrooms through reflective activities, fostering well-being for students and teachers.

Abstract

This article introduces rest and restfulness as contemplative practice in the context of elementary schooling. As a Canadian elementary teacher, I have been researching ways to introduce contemplative practices of education to support children in their well-being. Children struggle under the pressures of expectations to achieve and excel, to conform and perform, which just as well applies to their teachers. Schooling in a burnout society prioritizes achievement, productivity, and always doing something: “No time to waste” and “keep busy” are mandatory. Not incidentally, the etymological meaning of scholar, from Ancient Greek, σχολή (skholḗ), has to do with leisure or free time: a far cry from the contemporary scene of school learning. Given all this, contemplativeness cannot even take root in the mind-body-hearts that are constantly pressured to strive, perform, and achieve. More than anything, children (and teachers, too) need rest and restfulness. However, inactivity does not automatically guarantee that rest is found. Hence, my current research explores ways to create space/spaciousness in which children can experience restfulness while engaging in curricular activities. To this extent, I propose rest and restfulness as contemplative practice. I inquire how to create or allow oases of rest in the classroom through activities that incorporate reflective practices as an extension of curriculum content. I use my own reflective journaling to analyze and show how reflective writing among other practices can be contemplative and result in an overall feeling of restfulness for students and teacher alike.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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