Why Meditation Should Be On The National Curriculum
Why Meditation Should Be On The National Curriculum
Our children matter. They are the future. It's not just about what you're feeding their bodies. What about what we are feeding their minds?
Their well-being matters and must be nurtured from a multi-pronged approach by which we care about what they eat, what they are being exposed to, their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. If you’re adverse to the word spiritual, try ‘emotional well-being’ because spirit is love and the strongest love we can give ourselves is self-love. Training kids to practise self-love and self-care from an early age would help the world out, monumentally.
What is Meditation?
Mindfulness or ‘Paying attention’ or ‘Metacognitive insight’ or ‘Meditation’ or simply ‘Noticing’ should be on the national curriculum. It should be a staple in everyone’s life. It should be something everyone does everyday with as much urgency and significance as dental hygiene. As little as 15 minutes per day produces incredible physical results and when incorporated into a repeated daily practise, results in fantastic long-term physical and mental benefits, including: improved concentration, detachment from negative thought patterns, resilience, flexibility, reduced rumination and improved immunity (I haven’t been ill for over a year! Except food poisoning in Mexico, but that’s inevitable!) But the most important and useful benefit, in my opinion, is the ability to be able to recognise thoughts as 'just thoughts', and therefore ‘snap out of it’ quicker.
Science
Over the past 40 years or so, hundreds of rigorous studies have been carried out on the effects of meditation. Mindfulness training is intimately linked to improvements of attentional functions, cognitive flexibility, openness, problem solving, self-discipline and if practised long term, it helps your brain connect neural pathways faster. Yes, it makes you smarter. It promotes greater insight into your sense of self and also enhances relationships with others: It has been scientifically proven to increase compassion and kindness levels. It helps forgiveness and enhances gratitude. Think how much better the world would be, from the classroom to the office to International relations if meditation was more widely practised. Hello world peace! Someone please get Donald Trump meditating.
As a Positive Psychology Student and soon-to-be certified mindfulness practitioner, I personally believe it is something we should make the time for each day as part of a child’s development as crucial to their future as a basic knowledge of Maths, Science and Languages. It’s an achievable goal. Not only are more schools investing in the a multidimensional approach to the development of their pupils by incorporating activities such as yoga, they are taking a child-by-child approach by which to measure progress, as opposed to solely focusing on results tables.
It's Easy, Free And For Everyone
The best news is that meditation is available to anyone willing to try, there are many differing ways to practise so there’s something to suit everyone whether it’s by repeating a mantra, focusing on your breathing, practising eating meditation, walking meditation or a body scan. It is so easy. It takes practise, as anything does. We aren’t able to walk without learning how to first, are we?
Fantastic apps for children to use include Mindfulness for Children, which has been developed by Danish Psycho-motor-therapist Pia Holgersen who guides children via carefully scripted visualisations and body scans to help calm children.
Adults can access free guided meditations are available such as Insight Timer, Headspace to teach you the basics and then once you’re comfortable going alone, all you need is a timer! Until you get to the level when you can feel when your daily 20 minutes are up!
Adults can access free guided meditations are available such as Insight Timer, Headspace to teach you the basics and then once you’re comfortable going alone, all you need is a timer! Until you get to the level when you can feel when your daily 20 minutes are up!
Current Schools On Board
One primary school in Baltimore gives students meditation instead of detention, promoting deep breathing and relaxation as a way to reproach students. Truly killing it with kindness.
Other non-profit schools such as Rocketship Education in the USA who promote core values of persistence, empathy, responsibility, and respect are representative of the future of education.
We are never too old to learn from anyone. The fantastic documentary called Innsaei (which translates so beautifully to “The sea within,” features a young boy from a primary school in London. This school has been practising group meditation and it follows him on his journey with his anger, it’s dissipation and his enhanced relationships with his brother, father and mother as a result. His parents thank him for teaching them about the benefits of meditation.
It’s inspiring that several schools globally are realising the benefits that meditation can have, not only on an individuals’ development but as a class, including the teacher. Try it for yourself and find out the amazing benefits or if you’re already aware, join me in helping to promote this wonderful intervention for the future of humankind by sharing whether it’s online via social or just verbally to someone. It all helps!
Contact
Leave me a comment or drop me an email here to discuss coaching, meditation or more. Cheers to the next generation of emotionally intelligent, super nice, calm, grateful, loving people we are helping to shape!
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