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Meditation in Schools

The Benefits Of Meditation In School And The Lasting Benefits It Can Have

Jacob T. Whitmore

Department of Psychology, Sinclair Community College

PSY.2242.500: Educational Psychology

Dr. Rachel Lindberg

April 24, 2021

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Meditation in Schools

Introduction

Meditation in schools has been a somewhat recent talking point amongst parents and teachers due

to the apparent positives, as well as some potential negatives. Teaching and using meditation in school’s

can have positive benefits in the health and academic performance of children, as well as teach them a

valuable skill they can use in school, and when they reach adulthood, but can take away from valuable

class time. It is important to look at the positives and risks implementing something such as this would

have on the education structure, and students learning. I will be mainly focusing on children in early

education to elementary education with some slight information on how it can affect these students later

on in life, as well as the benefits to teachers. Meditation offers many benefits to a child’s learning,

education, and personal understanding and control over ones actions and emotions, as well as providing

skills one can use throughout their life.

Fundamentals of Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation has 5 key fundamentals which include posture, ones physical and mental state, their

environment, breathing, and focus. The first fundamental of posture focuses on how one sits and their

comfort. It is believed that a good posture helps to sharpen ones mental awareness, and helps one to

focus. The second fundamental of physical and mental state cam help to teach methods to control one’s

mental and physical states, and ways to relax which also helps with focus and reduces stress/anxiety. This

is done by practicing breathing exercises to help calm the mind and nerves, and shaking out ones body

and stretching to remove any physical tension. Environment focuses on creating a calm environment to

help one focus and learn. It creates an environment free of distractions. Breathing helps one to work on

visuals and to reign in their focus when they are anxious, stressed, or panicked. The breathing

fundamental is done by focusing on regulating your breathing to it’s natural state, and uses mental visuals

and focus of mental awareness on the bridge of the nose, from one eye to the other, and down to the lips

to create a triangular area. Lastly, we have the fundamental of focus that works on mental focus. This part
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Meditation in Schools

of meditation helps one to develop their mental focus and lessen day dreaming, or lack of attention on

what’s important.

Benefits of Meditation in Schools

Meditation has many benefits and can be used throughout many aspects and situations in life

including schooling. As stated in the article Impact of Mindfulness Meditation Intervention on Academic

Performance, “Hall showed that the academic performance of the meditation group was considerably

higher than that of the no meditation group during the practice period”(Lin, 2018). The 5 key

fundamentals can have many benefits on a child’s education and ability to focus in the classroom, as well

as reign in their emotions, anxiety, stress, and even panic when it comes to tough subjects. One of the

main concerns of meditation in school is that it takes away precious time for children to learn, but

meditation does not need to be a daily activity, and the benefits of meditation can actually improve the

efficiency of the classroom and the amount of information the students retain. “Research on adolescents

has shown that such benefits include reducing distress, enhancing general well-being and impacting

positively on basic brain function and habits of mind”(Keating, 2017), as well as it helps to calm

students, improve their sense of well-being, improves confidence, and improves their capacity for

decision-making(Keating,2017). Mediation can also benefit the emotional and social well being of

students and teachers as stated by Anne Graham “The findings suggest that the practice supported the

emotional and social wellbeing of both students and their teachers, and that these benefits presented in

multiple, accumulative and often reciprocal ways”.

The Benefits of Posture in Education

Posture in education has the benefit of improved focus when one is sitting up right instead of

slouching. There is also the benefit of comfort. When a student is in a more comfortable state it can help

them be less anxious and stressed, as well as help them pay better attention to what is going on and retain

the lessons better.

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Meditation in Schools

The Benefits of Physical and Mental States in Education

A good physical and mental state will help promote a better focus on schooling and alleviate

distractions. If a child is in a good and relaxed physical state it could prevent them from being distracted

and help them deal with any excess energy they have so they can pay more attention in class. A good

mental state would be if the child does not have anything on their mind distracting them from class. This

mainly includes anything that is worrying/bothering them, as well as anything that could be drawing their

attention away from class such as day dreaming. Stress and anxiety which can negatively impact one’s

mental state, as well as their performance in school. That is why meditation is important in these regards.

In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Psychology it is stated “engaging in meditation practice

was associated with a participant's lower‐than‐usual (i.e., lower than the average) perceived stress and

negative affect and a higher‐than‐usual positive affect to the extent that it was associated with the

participant's higher‐than‐usual mindful responding”(Lacaille, 2018). This benefit can go hand in hand

with the Cognitive Learning Theory, with the physical state being the external factor and the mental state

being the internal factor.

The Benefits of Environment in Education

A relaxing and comfortable environment is important in teaching as well. An environment

without negative factors can help a child maintain attention in class, encourage them to come to class

since they will feel comfortable there, and improve a child’s drive to pay attention and focus on the class.

A good comfortable environment and an openness caused by meditation can also improve the chances a

child will come forward to their teacher about things that are bothering them including trouble at home.

This give the teacher the opportunity to help the child or a chance to report anything that is wrong such as

abuse.
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Meditation in Schools

The Benefits of Breathing in Education

The benefits of breathing can help a child to calm themselves when they are stressed or anxious,

and this will help them focus on what is going on in class. This can also help in the case of giving a

presentation or going up to the chalk board and answering a question. It can also help mediate the affects

of test anxiety or help the student to deal with stress caused from having to ask the teacher for help on a

particular section. The act of calming the mind from anxiety and stress can help a student retain the lesson

being taught and potentially remove the distraction that is currently affecting their mental state. As stated

in an article from the Journal of clinical Psychology, “During sitting meditations, participants are taught

to bring their attention back to their breath, despite the natural tendency to mind wander or to be

distracted by various thoughts”(Lacaille, 2018), the breathing part of mediation can teach students to

focus their mind instead of letting it wander.

The Benefits of Focus in Education

Lastly, we have the fundamental of focus. Focus is important in school and an improved focus

can significantly improve a child’s retention of information and their performance in class. Teaching

children methods for focusing their mind and thoughts can help improve their level of focus causing them

to pay more attention in class and ignore any and all distractions. “Mindfulness means paying particular

and deliberate attention, being present, and being non-judgemental.”(Lin, 2018).

How Meditation Can Affect Children’s Progress Outside of The School Environment

An important factor in a child’s education is their environments outside of school known as their

Microsystem. This can possibly be improved upon using the meditation technics they have learned in

school and passing those on to their family and friends. It can also help to motivate children to focus on

what needs to be done outside of their school time, such as homework, chores, and anything else they

may normally be against doing in their free time.

Dealing with Personal Problems and The Importance of Self Control

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Meditation in Schools

Meditation and Mindfulness can teach one the skills required to accept their emotions and work

through them in a healthy way, instead of through acting/lashing out, and causing problems for others.

The improvement this can have on one’s self-control can improve their school, home, and social life by

helping them to be more forgiving, understanding, and empathetic to what others are going through and

their emotions. It can also help to clear one’s head so they can better deal with whatever problems they

are having and leave them more open to ask for help. This can be best described by a quote from an

article “You kind of go into your own world and you don't have any distractions and if you have, like if

there is some noise, you just block it out and you ... have a sense that everything is OK, there isn't

anything wrong”(Keating, 2017). This can help in school by motivating the student to be more active in

asking the teacher for help when they are struggling.

The Benefits of Meditation for Parents and Families

Meditation can also help the parents and families of students. The child could go home a teach

their families the meditation technics they learned in school so their families could better handle their

emotions and create a more understanding and positive environment for the student. This all comes down

to improving the level of understanding, active listening, and empathy at home and even in their

community.

Meditation and Online Schooling

Online schooling requires a level of motivation and self-control that is higher than that required in

school. A way meditation can help with that is if the child enjoys meditation it can help to motivate the

child to attend class. Meditation also promote a calm relaxed demeanor which can help children who are

hyperactive sit still and pay attention in class when they may otherwise go play instead. It helps to get

children motivated to take an active interest in their classes when a teacher isn’t physically there to reign

in their attention.

Cognitive and Social Benefits of Meditation

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Meditation in Schools

Meditation can affect two of the core cognitive factors that are empathy and active listening.

“Mindfulness consists of at least two cognitive processes: present-centered attention and emotional

acceptance” (Jones, 2019). Present-centered attention is required to engage in active listening, and

emotional acceptance tends to be required in empathy. One must be able to accept their own emotions and

forgive to truly practice empathy. Active listening and empathy can help to improve one’s social skills

and attention in a conversation, as well as give them the skills and drive needed to help when someone is

going through a tough situation. These skills can be used in a child’s home life to improve their home

environment, or to help a teacher or student to help a fellow classmate which could be going through

some tough times at home or in their social life that is hindering their ability to pay attention in class. The

active listening portion can also help students pay better attention in class when the teacher is teaching.

Conclusion

Meditation can improve the learning capabilities of students, as well as improve other aspects of a

child’s life. These benefits can carry on to their adult lives and can even help improve their home lives.

The main downside to meditation in the classroom is the time it takes away from actual teaching, but the

benefits can potentially counteract that use of time by improving a child’s ability to learn and retain

information, as well as improving their focus so less time is wasted repeating lessons for students that are

having trouble paying attention.

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Meditation in Schools

References

Jones, S., Bodie, G., Hughes, S. (2019, August). The Impact of Mindfulness on Empathy, Active

Listening, and Perceived Provisions of Emotional Support. Retrieved April 14, 2021, from

https://journals-ohiolink-edu.sinclair.ohionet.org/apexprod/rws_ejcsearch/r/1507/99?

p99_entity_id=285786375&p99_entity_type=MAIN_FILE&cs=37SEi9DW7pPQso8RJIzqHVdD

1vVDotq3EDkYeJwgXRcN5ssy_YY6ICxbvWccdnkt0yDRB2av1mRAx0vRTbyTdCA

Keating, N. (2017) ‘Children’s spirituality and the practice of meditation in Irish primary schools’,

International Journal of Children’s Spirituality. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://web-b-

ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=1ba79b29-78c8-47a8-ac84-

1293c4603fdb%40pdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#AN=121703260&db=ehh

Lacaille, J. et al. (2018). Daily Mindful Responding Mediates the Effect of Meditation Practice on Stress

and Mood: The Role of Practice Duration and Adherence. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://web-b-ebscohost-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=fc6717bf-8a07-4743-8e9c-

c692eec4b583%40pdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#AN=126850790&db=ehh

Lin, J.W., Mai, L.J. (2018, June). Impact of mindfulness meditation intervention on academic

performance. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://web-b-ebscohost-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=38390611-a5eb-4b42-a97c-04b3eb4269fc

%40sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=130504498&db=ehh

Graham, Anne. (2020, September). Meditation in the classroom: supporting both student and teacher

wellbeing?. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://web-b-ebscohost-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=4f0b039a-5997-4a9a-9b6d-
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