Raising Emotional Intelligence from the Mat How Mindful Yoga Accelerates and Deepens Training in Emotional Intelligence
William L. Weis, Ph.D; Darcy Stewart, LMHC, C-IAYT

Abstract
In 2003 we began teaching an innovative graduate course designed to help our MBA (Master of Business Administration) students at Seattle University develop their emotional intelligence skills. As of today, in early 2019, we have delivered the course, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, to over 1500 graduate students in 53 classes. Six years ago, in the summer of 2013, we began augmenting our emotional intelligence (EQ) course activities with a “mindful” yoga regimen. This article reviews the impact that adding yoga has had on our EQ training milieu, and looks at how both the pace and depth of EQ skill development have been enhanced in the six years since we made this important course revision. We close by offering suggestions for how to effectively integrate yoga practice in an EQ teaching curriculum, and offer our help to those who may be interested in taking this step.

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