Tag Archives: school

Feb13

Meditation and Mindfulness Continue to Spread

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Meditation and Mindfulness Continue to Spread

Following up on my recent post about mindfulness and meditation in schools, here are some more stories to document their continued spreading through the educational system.

Mindfulness in Hamilton County schools: A significant step toward creating a wiser generation

Hamilton County School System literacy coach Jennifer Knowles followed the signs: a conversation about yoga, another about a mindfulness app, reconnecting with an old friend and a personal desire to more fully experience the present moment. It all led her to a new “secret passion” of teaching mindfulness at a couple of local public schools.

Smiling minds at Sebastopol Primary

Sebastopol Primary School pupils all have Smiling Minds this year. Every day, between lunch and maths classes, all the pupils and teachers spend six minutes doing mindfulness exercises via the popular Smiling Minds app. Stretched out on the classroom floor, the pupils do deep breathing and relaxation exercises which principal Michelle Wilson said promoted clearer thinking and calmer playground conflict resolution.

Health Watch: Mindfulness in the classroom

Mindfulness and meditation techniques are being used in schools across the country. A recent study by the University of California-Davis and the non-profit organization, Mindful Schools, shows mindfulness triples students’ ability to focus and participate in class activities. It’s not a big deal to see fourth graders meditating and kindergarteners practicing mindful breathing at a mindful elementary school. Every class here has students doing the same thing. Heidi Palmiero-Potter, a 4th Grade Teacher at Harris Hill Elementary School in Buffalo, New York admits students, “They’re less impulsive with each other, they think about their words before they speak so it definitely spills to into the daily routines.”

Mindfulness@Umich is a program that is available to all University of Michigan students, faculty, and staff. The sessions are 30 minutes long, flexible, and free. 
The sessions are led by a group of students and staff who have received training to lead the 30 minute sessions. They also have personal practices.The meditations are guided (which means there will be speaking throughout the meditation) and they last for 25 minutes. We typically sit in chairs. We often end the practice with a short metta or gratitude meditation. At the very end of the session, we’ll spend a few minutes talking about issues that may have arisen in your meditation, recent research, or ways to practice outside of the session.

Here’s how you can inspire your children to meditate

These days, children engage in a variety of things. Besides studies, kids are also into a number of other extracurricular activities and this leaves them with little or no time to relax and play. In order to help children to cope with the mounting pressures of being in a competitive world, parents must inspire them to meditate. Meditation has healing qualities both mentally and physically. If the habit of regular meditation is inculcated in children, then they evolve better and this helps them in the long run too.

Practicing mindfulness in the classroom at Northeastern University

On Monday, students buzzed into C. Sara L. Minard’s “Impact Investing and Social Finance” class and chatted animatedly about the Super Bowl the night before, or opened their laptops to dash off an email, or scrolled through their smartphones. It was a scene perhaps familiar to anyone who’s spent time in a university classroom. But then something different happened. Minard, executive professor in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business, quietly raised her hand to signal the attention of her class and said in a conversational tone, “Let’s anchor ourselves. Feel your feet rooted into the earth, feel your wing bones on the back of your chair, and we’ll start when you hear the gong.” Her class, noisy and active a moment earlier, fell quiet, as students closed their eyes and breathed deeply. A gong sounded quietly from Minard’s phone, thus beginning the five minutes of mindfulness that Minard leads at the start of each of her classes.

 

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Feb3

Meditation in Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education

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Meditation in Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education

Meditation and mindfulness belong in schools, period. Just like we teach kids to tie their shoes, wipe their noses, and brush their teeth after every meal, we should be teaching them about starting their day mindfully and carrying that spirit with them throughout the day.

So I continue to be encouraged as I read about new programs that school districts, individual schools, communities, and colleges and universities are initiating to teach their students how to benefit from meditation and mindfulness. Here is just a sample of what I have seen recently:

A look inside the John Main Center for Meditation and Interreligious Dialogue

“For many Georgetown students, busy schedules and marked-up planners are the norm. With such a fast-paced college culture, multitasking has become a necessity. Such a strong emphasis on activity leaves little room for contemplation. The John Main Center for Meditation and Interreligious Dialogue, however, provides a space for reflection. Aiming to promote mindfulness and meditation on campus, the center is a source of support for many students regardless of their faith or background.”

Meditation retreats offered affordably for students

“Jill Klimpel, an academic advisor for the Ohio State Departments of Political Science and Geography, strives to help students beyond their academics. Klimpel has spent the last two years working to bring affordable meditation classes to all students on campus through the Art of Living Foundation.”

Schools experimenting with meditation as an alternative to detention

“What if every time a kid acted out, he got sent to take some deep breaths, instead of detention? Well a program in Baltimore has been trying that out for the past few years, with good results. The school’s suspension rate has dropped — to zero.”

Brighton Grammar boys engage in daily mindfulness and wellness training

“Boys as young as three are engaged in daily mindfulness and wellness training at Brighton Grammar. A few times each day the boys stop classes and take some time to meditate, do yoga or listen to music.”

Chill out: Sudbury college creates mindfulness room

“Cameron Sanders sits on a bright blue bean bag chair at school. The first-year graphic design student at Cambrian College is relaxed, scrolling through his phone and waiting for this three-hour spare to be over. He’s not at home, but in a room called the Zen Den.”

 

Nov1

Students need meditation more than ever

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My daughter is a sophomore in college. Among many eye-opening experiences I have had as a parent of a college student is discovering how stressful college has become.

In some ways, it is an exponential continuation of the experience of middle and high school, which seemed to me to be way more stressful than when I was that age. Granted, my 30th high school reunion was a couple of years ago, so perhaps my memory is dim. But I don’t think it is — I believe young people today are much more stressed in school than used to be the case.

All the more reason why students need to be taught meditation from an early age. I frequently share articles about meditation programs for students on the Dharma Beginner Facebook page and Twitter feed because I believe that meditation training is as essential — more essential, perhaps — to students as any academic subject they study.

The importance of meditation instruction and practice extends well beyond educational performance (though it is undeniably valuable in that regard). Young people need meditation to support their lives outside the classroom even more. School generally will end by the early 20s, but life will continue well beyond that.

Join me in supporting school-based meditation and mindfulness programs wherever you find them and in spreading the good word about their benefits.

Just a few examples…

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