ADDING LEMON JUICE TO POISON – RAISING CRITICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OXYMORONIC NATURE OF MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATION AND ITS FUTURE DIRECTION
E. Sellman, Gabriella F. Buttarazzi
British Journal of Educational Studies February 16, 2019 DOI: 10.1080/00071005.2019.1581128 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key points | Argues that mindfulness-based interventions in education, when pursued for enhanced focus and well-being, serve a neoliberal agenda by encouraging students to cope with oppressive structures rather than challenge them. Proposes reconnecting mindfulness with its original meaning of remembrance and discernment and advancing 'mindfulness as education' through embodied, contemplative pedagogy and mindful interpersonal relationships. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT This article seeks to amplify debates concerning the application of mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) to schools and other places of learning by deepening a number of conceptual, methodological and implementational issues. It argues that the pursuit of the by-products of mindfulness, enhanced focus and well-being serve a neoliberal agenda for education. This is lemon-juice to poison as it encourages students to accept and cope with oppressive structures partially responsible for suffering in society rather than develop the deepened awareness necessary to challenge and transform them. Reconnecting mindfulness with its original meaning of remembrance and discernment is highlighted as a means for engaging students with more agentic possibilities. The article begins to make the case for mindfulness as education, rather than mindfulness in education, realised as an embodied approach rather than psychological intervention with key roles for contemplative pedagogy and mindful inter-personal relationships.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Post-secular affective labours of teaching: contemplative practices and the ‘belaboured self’ Critical Studies in Education February 24, 2022
- Is Mindfulness in Schools ‘Dead in the Water’? Teachers’ Voices Argue for a More Integrative Approach British Journal of Educational Studies May 11, 2026
- Breathe-well grounded theory: Self-discovery and personal growth in knowledge workers through well-being practices. Acta Psychologica May 1, 2026
- Mindfulness and foreign language achievement: a meta-analytic study on interventions and correlations. Frontiers in Psychology May 14, 2025
- A Qualitative Study of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Educational Contexts in Chile: An Approach Based on Adolescents' Voices. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health September 22, 2020
and 1 more in the library
Cites 8
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World Mindfulness June 29, 2017
- Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Function of Education Journal of Philosophy of Education January 26, 2009
and 3 more in the library