Meditation and Education
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation December 15, 2020 Candy Gunther Brown 3 citations
School-based meditation programs for children aged 4–17, including Transcendental Meditation, ashtanga yoga, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, gained popularity between the 1960s and 2010s in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India. Promoters distanced these practices from their religious roots in Hinduism and Buddhism, framing them as scientifically validated techniques to boost academic performance, physical and mental health, and moral character. The chapter evaluates meditation research and associated religious controversies, recommending an opt-in informed consent model to ensure transparency and voluntarism.