Russell Simmons has seen the benefits of Consciousness-Based Education in schools where it has been implemented and recommends its use.

Celebrity, Russell Simmons, speaks out in support of Consciousness-Based Education
from http://www.cbesa.org
24 June 2009

Mr. Simmons is the co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam. According to USA Today, he is the "Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years" for his groundbreaking vision that has influenced music, fashion, finance, television, and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy.

Russell Simmons: “Transcendental Meditation promotes stillness—and when you are still it is the only time you can think, the only time you can focus. When you have distractions and noise in your mind, you can't comprehend properly and you can't do your job. Comprehension comes from stillness, focus comes from stillness, and TM is the practice of touching that stillness for a few minutes twice a day.”

"When you don't fund education, you leave children behind. When you promote art and creativity in a child, it sparks their imagination. Kids need inspiration to go to work.

"My Transcendental Meditation practice has been very valuable to me in learning how to achieve focus. That same programme, if put into these underperforming schools, would help young people focus and improve grades. Repeating mantras teaches kids to focus. The schools that have implemented this programme create quiet time in school where the kids practice their meditation.

"Children that are diagnosed with ADHD may be helped through this kind of programme. Instead of giving them pills, we could teach them meditation. And not just for those kids, but all kids. If you go to the schools around the country currently utilizing this programme, you would see a dramatic difference in the children and the results they achieve. "

Editors Note: In addition, at the HuffingtonPost.com, Mr. Simmons said, "Young people are our most precious natural resource, and we must do all we can to give them tools that will help them stay focused and positive. Stress is everywhere, in the streets and the classroom.

"There's a mountain of scientific data that supports the fact that Consciousness-Based Education and having quiet time at the beginning and end of the school day improves academic performance and spills over to happier and healthier young people at home," Mr. Simmons emphasized.

Also, a video of Russell Simmons speaking about meditation can be see at the Maharishi University of Management website.

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