This document discusses how neuroscience, mindfulness, and learning are interconnected. It provides an overview of brain anatomy and functions, highlighting how the amygdala can hijack rational thinking in stressful situations. Mindfulness practices can help calm the amygdala and support healthy brain development by strengthening neural pathways involved in self-regulation, social engagement, and flexible thinking. Regular mindfulness training leads to benefits like reduced negativity bias, improved focus and memory, and more optimal learning. When integrated into education, developing students' mindfulness skills can foster on-task behavior, creativity, engagement, and prosocial behaviors.

1. Neuroscience, Mindfulness
and Learning
Kathy A. Shoemaker,
MA, EdS, LPC, NCC, ACS, CPS

2. With the end in mind, what are your
hopes for your students?

3. #1 Skill/Trait that employers
are looking for?
 “Learnability”
 “Learning Animals”
 “Hungry Brains”
Self-directed learners who are inquisitive,
genuinely interested in acquiring
new knowledge, and personally motivated
to grow professionally.
O’Donnell, 2017

4. A Quick Neuroscience Lesson
Limbic System
Amygdala:
Emotion-driven
Fight/Flight/Freeze
Hippocampus:
Explicit memory
Thalamus:
Message control
Cerebral Cortex
Newer, Higher, Evolved
Shaped by social &
physical interactions
Corpus Collosum
Connects left & right hemisphere
Prefrontal Cortex
conscious thought
(Cozzolino, 2010; Siegel, 2010)
mPFC Functions:
-Bodily regulation
-Attuned
communication
-Emotional balance
-Fear extinction
-Flexibility
-Insight -Empathy
-Morality -Intuition
Brain Stem - Instinct
Regulates vital functions &
flow of body messages
Sub-cortical,
Ancient,
Below Conscious
Concern=Safety

5. Our Embodied Brains
• Central Nervous System: brain, brain stem, and spinal cord
• Peripheral Nervous System: nerves that branch off the
spinal cord to all parts of the body
• Somatic – voluntary body movement
• Autonomic – involuntary body function
• Sympathetic – approach - fast
• Parasympathetic – rest – slower
• Key role in body response to stress
• Vagus nerve
• Neuroception: are situations or people
dangerous (im/mobilize) or safe (engage)
• The brain sends messages through the
spinal cord and nervous system to control
Muscle movement of and organ

6. Ancient Brain
Concern:
Safety
Amygdala
Hijack

7. Healthy Human Brain Development
Pet the Lizard Feed the mouse
Hug the
Monkey
Hanson, 2015; Siegel, 2013; Siegel & Bryson,
2011
2nd chance to develop
habits that support
wellness across the lifespan
Healthy Development and Secure
Attachment Supports:
• Self-regulation
• Self-soothing
• Social engagement

8. Adolescent Brain Development
Changes in the adolescent brain gives rise to:
• Novelty Seeking – increases drive for rewards and
creates internal motivation
• Emotional Intensity – creating vitality and passion
• Creative Exploration – new ways of thinking and
being, pushing back – sparks innovation
• Social Engagement - supportive relationships –
***best predictor of well being across the lifespan
Successfully navigating these aspects of adolescence
predicts outcomes across the lifespan

9. Tying it all together - Learning
Hippocampus:
Explicit memory
Prefrontal Cortex
conscious thought
(Siegel, 2010)
Amygdala:
Emotion-based
Motivation
Safety =
Social
Engagement
Network
Danger = Mobilization or
Immobilization Network
Neuroplasticity:
Neural pathways are
developed and
strengthend based on
learning and practice

10. Ways to
Calm the Amygdala:
• Breathe
• Move
• Play
• Mindfulness
• Developing Focused Awareness
• Supporting Safety and Stability
(Ivey & Zalaquett, 2011; Siegel, 2010; Van der Kolk, 2012)

11. Benefits of
Mindfulness Practices
• Physical health
• Psychological
• Emotional
• Social
• Overall well-being
(The Hawn Foundation, 2011; Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Linden, 1973;
Rempel, 2012; Siegel, 2013; Siegel & Bryson, 2011; Shonin, Van
Gordon, & Griffiths, 2012; Tang et al., 2012)

12. At its essence,
mindfulness is about
noticing and tuning into what one
is actually experiencing,
rather than
being hijacked by our habitual
thoughts
Kabat-Zinn, 1990; Langer, 2000

13. Mindfulness is . . .
“the awareness that emerges
from paying attention on purpose,
in the present moment,
and nonjudgmentally
to the unfolding experience moment by
moment”
(Kabat Zinn, 2003, p. 145)

14. Mindfulness & Neurobiology
Learning mindful awareness skills is a key vehicle for
strengthen and restructure the brain:
 to supports the healthy cognitive, emotional, and
interpersonal functioning
When successfully cultivated, they lead to:
 flexible thinking
 active engagement
 sense of competence
 a healthy lifespan trajectory
(Diamond, 2010; Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2003; Siegel, 2013)

15. Mindfulness & Negativity Bias
• Evolutionary bias toward negativity
• Necessary for survival, but . . .
• Too much focus builds self-
reinforcing circuitry
• Mindfulness practice can shift the
default mode network to become less
reactive
• Heartfulness
• Gratitude
• Taking in the good

16. Mindfulness-based
Practices
 creates a shift in awareness from experiencing
to the objective observation of experience.
 facilitating the capacity for objectivity, empathy, and
tolerance without reactivity to challenging physical
and emotional states
 fostering self-regulation, self-management, values
clarification, and flexibility of cognitions, emotions,
body sensations, and behaviors.
(Black, 2015; Davidson et al., 2012; Felver et al. 2013; Grecucci et al.,
2015; Wisner, 2014)

17. Benefits in Education
Developing mindful awareness skills supports:
• On-task behavior
• Focused attention
• Improved Working Memory
• Creativity
• Optimal Learning
• Reduction in test anxiety
• Student engagement
• Prosocial Behavior
(Davidson, 2012; Langer, 2000; Roeser & Peck, 2009)

18. Questions/Comments?
Kathy Shoemaker
kshoemaker@rider.edu