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Now students can say good-bye to depression and stress Did you know that 10 million children in America take an antidepressant medication? The good news is that there is an alternative solution to curing the blues among students. Instead of medication, try Transcendental Meditation. This is just what students at Nataki School in Detroit did. For eight years, students and teachers of Nataki School have added Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Programme to their school routine. Students and teachers sit together and meditate at school for ten minutes. During this time, they close their eyes and experience a source of peace and happiness within. Stresses dissolve in the quiet of meditation. After this period of quiet time with their practice of Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Technique, students feel happier, from inside themselves. Self-confidence improves, and so does their ability to focus on and enjoy school activities and their friends, families, and teachers. Anxiety and depression fall away. An article at the David Lynch Foundation website describes the Nataki School story: But while the location may not be great, the Nataki charter school (K-8), founded 30 years ago by educator Carmen N'Namdi and her psychologist husband George, is outstanding. Nataki has earned a well-deserved citywide reputation for excellence, and the school attracts students—all of them African American—from all over Detroit. In fact, many of the city's government and civic leaders attended Nataki as children.' The article reports that in 1997, Ms N'Namdi decided to introduce the Transcendental Meditation Programme to offer students and teachers a simple tool to decrease stress and boost achievement. She continues to offer the programme at Nataki each year for one reason: it works. There is extensive, published scientific research on how the practice of Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Technique improves self-esteem and happiness and reduces anxiety, depression, and stress. A study of the children at Nataki School confirmed these research findings. The study confirms earlier research on Transcendental Meditation, which shows that individuals practising the technique regularly experience an increase in happiness, self-esteem, and self-worth; and a decrease in stress, anxiety, and depression. Jane Pitt, the director of the Transcendental Meditation Programme in Nataki school describes what happens at the school: 'A horde of active, energetic middle-school students come bounding into the gym, take a "backjack" chair off the stage, and sit down in rows with their classes. They finish up conversations with friends, get comfortable—and the lights are dimmed. They begin their practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique and literally, within moments, the room grows deeply silent. Then, ten minutes later, rested and refreshed, they get up, put away the backjacks, and get on with their school day. By now, the whole process is just routine.' The benefits of the twice-daily practice were immediate, Ms Pitt explains: 'Students said they were more focused in their classes, and teachers reported more energy throughout the day. Both groups noticed they had more patience in dealings with each other. Parents noticed the changes in their children, so they wanted to learn the TM Technique themselves—and they wanted their other children to learn as well.' Students felt happier due to contacting their own inner source of happiness and they also felt happier due to increased ability to achieve in school and to enjoy harmonious relationships with their friends and teachers. The research results and the classroom experience at Nataki School and others suggest that Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Programme, offered to students on a wider scale, could well provide an answer to student depression and stress. More than this, it provides a practical, scientifically verifiable way to make school a fulfilling place to learn and to unfold students' full potential. © Copyright 2008 Global Good News®
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