Mindfulness is a technique that fosters inner calm, increased awareness, and a sense of well-being. Over the past three decades, the practice of mindfulness has been taught to adults in hospitals and clinics to assist in pain management, stress reduction, and healing. Now mindfulness is being introduced into school curriculum.
The new field of teaching mindfulness in our nation’s schools is a profoundly beneficial development for the education of children from grades K through 12. Research shows that mindfulness decreases stress, attention deficit issues, depression, anxiety, and hostility in children, while benefiting their health, well-being, social relations, and academic performance. Children can easily learn these techniques, and when learned young, they become lifelong tools.