How Mindful Meditation Could Transform Schools
In recent years, mindfulness meditation has exploded in popular culture leading to tons of new research on the benefits of the practice. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing non-judgemental awareness to one’s present moment experience.
Some of the benefits of mindfulness include reduction of stress [1] and anxiety [2], increased attention span and emotional resilience [3], and the development of positive social skills including an expanded ability to empathize [4].
A formal mindfulness practice can look like focusing on the quality of the breath or sensations in the body. However mindfulness itself is a way of life.
With more adults reaping the benefits, parents and schools are exploring ways to bring mindfulness to children. As this drives more kid-focused research, it’s becoming clear the benefits of mindfulness are not only transferable to children but could be especially powerful.
In 2016, The Atlantic emphasized “exposure to stress can speed up the opening and closing of certain periods of brain development, suggesting that countering the lifelong consequences of toxic stress is something best tackled in the first several years of life.”
Kids exposed to high levels of stress are at risk for delayed cognitive development. [5]
However, even the highest levels of stress which can show up in the form of PTSD symptoms have been shown to reduce after mindfulness meditation interventions [1]. With this growing awareness, an increasing number of schools are seeking ways to implement mindfulness into their curriculum.
Bringing Mindfulness to the Classroom
To successfully integrate mindfulness into the classroom, it’s important for teachers to develop a personal practice. Children are predisposed to adapt the behaviors of those around them. Providing an example of mindfulness in action can be the most effective intervention. Teachers who practice mindfulness have been shown to experience less burnout and create more organized and efficient classrooms. [6]
Mindful teachers have also been shown to empathize more with children they find challenging, allowing them to provide more emotional support. [7] In general, mindful teachers serve as a model for students learning to navigate scenarios mindfully.
The next component to curating a mindful classroom is the introduction to engaging mindfulness activities. Such activities are aimed at providing tools for kids to mindfully navigate day-to-day scenarios in school. Those who lack these tools are more likely to project onto others creating an environment which is more conducive to bullying and attitude problems.
Mindfulness can ultimately empower children with a new frame of reference for navigating strong emotions when they arise without feeling the need to escape them through acting out or projecting onto others.
Learning mindfulness in a class setting is especially powerful as it can create a social context which reinforces the communal values and practices emphasized in mindfulness such as acceptance, compassion, and empathy.
Integrating Mindfulness into School Routines
Schools are finding creative ways to integrate a mindfulness practice into the daily routine. One school implements mindfulness during its morning announcements. Another school replaced detention with a Mindful Moment Room. It’s become increasingly common to create a calming corner to be used at any point in the day when a child is feeling overwhelmed or emotional.
Mindfulness practices can be integrated throughout the day including the morning meeting, after recess, during the mid-day slump, or an end-of-the-day reflection.
Finding the best way to integrate mindfulness into a school or classroom routine is often a process of trial and error. However, the benefits far outweigh the costs. If done right, students will be equipped for life with a powerful tool for their own emotional freedom, self-enhancement, and peace of mind.
Resources for Schools Implementing Mindfulness
If your school or classroom is new to the idea of meditation and mindfulness, it might feel difficult to get started. Here is a curated list of exercises, resources for teachers, and free mindfulness meditations to help kickstart your journey.
Mindfulness Exercises for the Classroom
Classroom Mindfulness Resources for Teachers
https://mindup.org/videos/ - free mindfulness training videos for teachers from Goldie Hawn’s mindfulness NGO
https://www.mindfulschools.org/ - nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing mindfulness into schools
Seven Benefits of Mindfulness for Teachers - 3 exercises for integrating mindfulness during everyday classroom scenarios
6 Tips on How to Implement Mindfulness in Schools - free tips for integrating mindful practices in the classroom
What to Avoid When Designing a School Mindfulness Program - tips for creating a productive mindfulness program at school
Free Mindfulness Meditations
If you’re looking to begin or improve your meditation practice, explore these free guided meditations suited for any level:
About Good Luck Yogi
Good Luck Yogi, also known as GLY, is a superhero from inner space on a mission to empower every child with the practice and teachings of meditation. Armed with a wide range of bite-sized meditations to calm, center, and focus students, GLY is the perfect Meditation Mascot for the classroom. Whether it be through group or individual guidance, GLY’s captivating meditations are curated to inspire kids of all kinds to find their powers within.
Citations
[1] Sibinga, E. M. S., Webb, L., Ghazarian, S. R., & Ellen, J. M. (2016). School-Based Mindfulness Instruction: An RCT. Pediatrics, 137(1), 1-8.
[2] Potek, R. (2012). Mindfulness as a School-Based Prevention Program and its Effect on Adolescent Stress, Anxiety and Emotion Regulation. Doctoral dissertation, Available from UMI Dissertation Express (AAT 3493866), New York, NY.
[3] Semple, R. J., Lee, J., Rosa, D., & Miller, L. F. (2010). A randomized trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children: promoting mindful attention to enhance social-emotional resiliency in children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(2), 218–229.
[4] Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Oberle, E., Lawlor, M. S., Abbott, D., Thomson, K., Oberlander, T. F., & Diamond, A. (2015). Enhancing cognitive and social–emotional development through a simple-to-administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children: A randomized controlled trial. Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 52-66.
[5] University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Stress may delay brain development in early years." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 June 2012.
[6] Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L., Bonus, K., & Davidson, R. J. (2013). Mindfulness for teachers: A pilot study to assess effects on stress, burnout, and teaching efficacy. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7(3), 182–195.
[7] Jennings, P. Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being, Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion in Relation to Classroom Quality and Attitudes Towards Challenging Students. Mindfulness 6, 732–743 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0312-4
