September 1, 2013 Blog Post. I was so excited to read about the benefits of meditation with children being an avid fan of medication and having used meditation in my own classroom as a time to center into the days’ work, to prepare toest anxiety and I saw first hand the calming benefits when a child just sat quietly for a few minutes breathing to calm down. I didn’t want you to have to wait until next week to get this post so you get the bonus of two in one week. Have a great first week or second week of school with your children. Colleen This article is compliments of ABMP.
Meditation Eases Kids’ Stress
News Note
By Lara Evans Bracciante
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, October/November 2003.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Kids who meditate are happier, have higher self-esteem, get along better with other students and cope with stress more effectively than students who don’t meditate, suggests Rita Benn, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Michigan. Aged 10 to 14, the Detroit students of Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse practice non-religious transcendental meditation (TM) for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon to reduce stress — a growing concern for parents and child psychologists who note that kids are dealing with more pressure than ever. The school has been utilizing the TM practice for six years. While Nataki students were compared with kids from a nearby charter school who didn’t meditate, Benn is now conducting additional research to specifically study the before and after effects of meditation on 22 fifth-graders.
Students aren’t the only ones who are required to sit still. Nataki teachers also practice TM twice a day, but for 20 minutes rather than 10.