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Excerpts from David Lynch Foundation, USA
14 January 2008
Children need to feel safe in school because pressure, stress, and fear undermine learning. When the safety of students in schools must be protected by metal detectors and armed guards, and when students in America’s most elite upper schools report worrisome levels of stress, pressure, and fatigue, it’s safe to conclude that something’s wrong.
This distorted picture is made worse by the escalating incidence in both children and adolescents of depression and other stress-related disorders, which have dramatic effects on learning and social development, as well as by similar increases in the incidence of learning and attention disorders.
‘The problem is stress,’ says William Stixrud, Ph.D., a prominent clinical neuropsychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, who specializes in work with children and adolescents and who has studied and lectured frequently on the effects of stress on the brain, particularly the developing brain.
‘The effects of stress are not pretty. Not only does stress interfere with functions such as attention, memory, organization, and integration, but prolonged stress actually kills brain cells and shrinks the brain’s main memory structures. In fact, the top stress researchers in the world report that lifelong stress level is the best predictor of risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
‘In light of this research, I am increasingly struck by how counterproductive it is for students to learn in highly stressful contexts, since stress not only interferes with their learning and retention in the short run but also burns out their brains in the long run.’
Dr. Stixrud says educators have long known that the optimal mind/body state of a student is one of relaxed alertness. The question has been how does the student get there? The answer, Dr. Stixrud says, is the Transcendental Meditation program. ‘I have been a big fan of using Transcendental Meditation in schools for many years due, in part, to the program’s unparalleled ability to create the experience of relaxed alertness in students — and to create learning environments in which students feel safe to tackle very difficult material and assignments,’ he says.
Extensive scientific research confirms Dr. Stixrud’s assessment. Published studies show that Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation program produces a unique state of ‘restful alertness’ — the practitioner experiences exceptionally deep levels of physiological rest while at the same time remaining highly alert or awake inside. The research shows that this state effectively reduces stress and vulnerability to stress — and protects the developing brain while fostering learning and emotional development.
‘This unique state produces very high levels of coherence or orderliness in the functioning of the brain, which results in the experience of increased peacefulness, harmony, mental clarity, and the ability to see things in perspective,’ Dr. Stixrud says. ‘Schools in which students and teachers meditate have been shown to be remarkably calm and positive and to be relatively free of the physical aggression and the more subtle forms of aggression such as teasing and bullying that are currently very serious problems even in our most elite schools.’
Facts About Transcendental Meditation
At the basis of the Consciousness-Based approach to education is the Transcendental Meditation program. Introduced nearly 50 years ago by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Transcendental Meditation technique develops the full potential of human consciousness, unfolding creativity and intelligence and developing the full brain physiology. In addition, the technique produces a unique experience of physiological ‘restful alertness’ that dissolves deep-rooted stress and fatigue, thereby promoting ideal health and behavior.
More than 6 million people from all countries, religions, and educational backgrounds have learned the technique, and hundreds of scientific research studies have confirmed the practical benefits of the Transcendental Meditation program for mind, body, behavior, and society as a whole.
What Transcendental Meditation Is and Is Not
Transcendental Meditation is a simple, natural, effortless, easily learned technique practiced silently for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day, sitting comfortably in a chair with the eyes closed. During the practice, the mind settles down, experiencing finer levels of thought, until it transcends the finest level of thought and experiences the source of thought, pure consciousness—the unified field—the source of the unlimited creativity and intelligence expressed in human life and in nature. The Transcendental Meditation technique is not a religion or philosophy and does not involve concentration, control of the mind, or change in lifestyle.
Validation: Scientific Research and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants
During the past 30 years, more than 600 scientific research studies validating the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation technique have been conducted in 33 countries at 210 independent research institutions and universities, including Harvard, Stanford, and University of California, Los Angeles Medical School.
These studies, more than 125 published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, show that the Transcendental Meditation program provides benefits for mind and body that are highly relevant to improving educational outcomes.
The National Institutes of Health has granted over $21 million to researchers studying the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique in reducing high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.
Transcendental Meditation in Education
The Transcendental Meditation program is a powerful and innovative new educational tool for systematically dissolving stress and developing the inner potential of students and teachers. Transcendental Meditation has been successfully implemented in public and private schools and in after-school programs across the U.S. and around the world, with thousands of students enjoying its benefits.
Copyright © 2007 David Lynch Foundation
For information about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: Global Financial Capital of New York.
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