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Benefits of Meditation in the Classroom

THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION IN THE CLASSROOM
Copyright American Library Association Fall 2004
Anne Haynes

Meditation is clearly moving into the mainstream. Evidence of this is the August 4, 2003, cover story in Time magazine, which explored the research on the physiological and psychological aspects of meditation. Since then, numerous stories have been published on the scientific findings relating to the benefits of meditation. Recent research conducted by scientists at the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin at Madison demonstrated that meditation activates the part of the brain that is associated with positive emotions. A study released in March 2004 by the Medical College of Georgia found that two fifteen-minute meditation sessions daily (one at school, one at home) helped teenagers lower their blood pressure. This study also reported other favorable outcomes for the teens who meditated, including decreased absenteeism and a reduction in behavioral problems. Meditation is becoming more common in American classrooms. Some middle schools in Detroit have practiced meditation for more than six years. A recent article in Barron's highlighted a plan by parents to propose that meditation be offered in New York City public schools.

Interest in this topic is likely to grow as meditation increases in popularity. The number of adults in the United States who meditate on a regular basis has doubled in the past ten years, and is estimated to total ten million.

Studies have been done linking meditation with improved physical health and increased mental well-being. There is growing evidence that meditation, used as a mind-body medicine, is effective alone and as a complement to allopathic medicine in relieving stress, pain, and other physical and mental conditions.

Researchers in medicine, psychology, and sociology became interested in meditation during the twentieth century, and research has flourished, especially in the past three decades. As meditation research has evolved, the standard of research has become more rigorous.

Meditation is a state of heightened mental awareness and inner peace that brings mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. It is a useful self-help technique and can be practiced without adherence to any religion or philosophy.

Meditation has almost as many definitions as there are writers, scholars, and practitioners in the field. For many of us, the term conjures up images of people in loose robes sitting for hours in lotus position, eyes closed, in silence. Meditation can also be practiced while walking, engaging in exercise, chanting, working in the garden, or sitting at one's desk. It can be solitary or accomplished in a room full of fellow practitioners. Time spent in meditation can be a few minutes a day to hours a week, but is usually somewhere in between. Meditation has its roots in spirituality, and for most people in the world who practice some form of it, spiritual growth is its purpose.

Meditation is defined by Shapiro and Walsh as "a family of practices that train attention and awareness, usually with the aim of fostering psychological and spiritual well-being and maturity." Meditation can take many forms and can be used for either sacred or secular purposes -often both -and a number of these forms have been, and continue to be, investigated for their roles in improvement of both physical and psychological health.

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