Overview

Beyond Thinking presents a radical idea: while thinking is the superstar of education, the pervasive crisis of student mental health and chronic teacher stress proves we must learn to go beyond thinking to find well-being and wisdom. This book offers an essential roadmap for cultivating mindfulness—the awareness that allows us to use our powerful minds as tools without being trapped by unhelpful patterns like the inner critic or the worry spiral. Backed by neuroscience and grounded in practical skills, Beyond Thinking shows how education can align with the universal aspiration of well-being. It highlights how meaningful transformation in education begins with the adults, leading to a lasting impact on students.

Full Product Details

Author:   Juan-Diego Estrada
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN:  

9781475874600

ISBN 10:   147587460
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   09 July 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  

Table of Contents

Preface Chapter 1: Understanding Our Thinking Minds What Is Thinking? The Physical Foundation of Thinking Our Inner Experience When Our Minds Wander Thoughts and Emotions: Inseparable Partners Thinking and Your Body Chapter 2: When Thinking Becomes a Trap The Inner Tyrant Lost in Thought and Its Impact on Performance The Worry Machine The Broken Record Automatic Thoughts: Things Might Not Be as Simple as They Appear Distorted Thoughts We Need to Go Beyond Thinking Chapter 3: Understanding Mindfulness - Beyond the Thinking Mind What Is Mindfulness? Mindfulness as a Technique, a State of Mind, and a Way of Life Helpful Metaphors The Thinking Race The Autopilot Turning on the Light Space The Map is Not the Territory The River and the Train The Stage Show Chapter 4: Cultivating Mindfulness - Attitudes and Skills The Attitudes Non-judging Patience Beginner's Mind Trust Non-striving Acceptance Letting go Beyond-thinking Skills Chapter 5: The Science of Mindfulness Your Plastic Brain: The Foundation What happens in the brain? Experience-Dependent Neuroplasticity The Mindful Brain: Key Structures and Benefits Gray Matter Prefrontal Cortex Amygdala Hippocampus Default Mode Network The Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) Insula Beyond the Brain: The Nervous System Connection The Distracted Brain: Technology's Impact Who is Training your Brain? The Attention Economy and Your Brain The Impact on Mental Health Developing Brains at Risk Reclaiming Your Brain Mindful Use of Technology Chapter 6: Going Beyond Thinking in Education The Well-being Framework Why The Framework Matters: The Scope of the Challenge Our Shared Aspiration Beyond Thinking, we Find Well-Being. Moving Beyond Misconceptions Implementing the Framework Practical Integration The Power of the Metaphor Eliminating Stigma Chapter 7: Change Begins with Us The Reality of Teacher Stress The Credibility Factor Creating the Ripple Effect The Reality Check: No Quick Fixes Leadership in Action: Shaping Culture by Example Mindfulness Beyond Leadership Practical Implementation Mindfulness in the classroom Chapter 8: Mindfulness Practices Mindful Noticing Practices Just this breath Try it now Resting in awareness in three breaths Try it now STOP Practice The mind as a stage The lighting booth Try it now Lighting Booth Practice Coming to Your Senses Paying Attention to All Your Senses Paying Attention to One Thing with Different Senses Try it now Seeing and Hearing without Labeling Try it now Just One Bite Mindful Body Try it now Thought and Feeling Navigation Practices Creating a Gap Thinking Thoughts vs Being Aware of them How to practice being aware of thoughts Counting Thoughts Playing with Thoughts Feeling the Feeling vs Being the Feeling The Sky and the Clouds Labeling Thoughts Labeling Feelings Journaling Reading Maps Dropping the Weight The Camera and the Filter Other Helpful Metaphors Letting Positive Thoughts Affect You Non-judging Practices Noticing Judgments Observations vs. Interpretations How to Practice Benefits of this Practice The Control Switch Noticing the Difference Between Thoughts and Facts Catch Yourself Shoulding Don't Judge the Judging Mindful Engagement Practices Grounding Yourself in the Moment Just This Your Favorite Song Mindful Walking The Sensory Walk The Daily Activity Chapter 9: Interpersonal Practices and Aware Classrooms Mindful Listening: Mindful Listening as a Structured Exercise Kind Thoughts: Try it now Mindfulness in the Classroom Just Pausing, Noticing, and Naming A Moment to Just Be One Mindful Breath Three Mindful Breaths Mindfulness Moments Mindful Check-ins Chapter 10: Transforming Schools One Person at a Time. Your personal journey. Your Personal Plan Breathing Moving your Body Eating Daily Chores Transitions Relationships Leisure time Technology Check your Attitude Autopilot Day A Mindful Day Skills Applied Mindful Noticing Thought and Feeling Navigation Mindful Engagement Inner Strength A Mindful Week Day 1: Awake & Aware Day 2: Pause at the Door Day 3: Mindful Listening Day 4: Mindful Eating Day 5: Labeling Thoughts Day 6: The Mindful Chore Day 7: Kind Thoughts End of Week Reflection Moving Forward Common Challenges ""This is not for me."" ""My mind doesn't stop. There is something wrong with me."" ""I'm too busy for this."" ??""I don't want to become a machine."" ""My boss is the one who needs this."" ""I need real solutions, not just 'being present.'"" ""I tried and nothing happened."" Chapter 11: A Future Beyond Thinking Resources

Reviews

Beyond Thinking is a beautiful, practical guide for educators who want to cultivate greater awareness, balance, and presence—both in themselves and in their students. With clarity and compassion, Diego shows us why learning to manage our inner world is just as essential as cultivating critical thinking skills, and how mindfulness can become a powerful pathway to well-being in our schools. This book is an invitation and a roadmap for anyone committed to building healthier, more human-centered learning communities. -- Marc Brackett * founding director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and bestselling author of ""Permission to Feel"" and ""Dealing with Feeling"" * Beyond Thinking: Cultivating Awareness and Well-Being in Education is an eye-opening guide for educators, administrators, and anyone interested in the mental health of youth and young adults. Diego Estrada illuminates a key, but surmountable, gap in helping the youth in our lives understand what it means to not only use their mind, but be mindful. At an age where pressures abound and identity is often tied to academic success, seeing role models themselves value presence as much as output is so critical to equipping youth with the resources they need to thrive. -- Alison Malmon * founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, the nation's leading nonprofit organization supporting youth mental health. *

Author Information

Dr. Juan-Diego Estrada holds a PhD in Psychology and has two decades of experience bringing mindfulness and well-being to school communities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a graduate of Duke University's Leadership Program in Whole Health and Well-Being, he is a Duke-certified Health and Well-Being Coach and facilitator of Google's Search Inside Yourself program, dedicated to transforming educational communities through evidence-based practices that empower students and educators.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions