Baltimore elementary school replaces detention with meditation

Oct 2, 2016

Students at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore aren’t sent to detention when they misbehave. Instead, they go to the Mindful Moment Room.

Kids who are sent to the Mindful Moment Room are encouraged to practice deep breathing and meditation practices while surrounded by purple pillows, lamps and other decorations. What’s more, while they are there, they are encouraged to talk about why they were sent there in the first place. The meditation is supposed to help the kids re-center their thoughts and also give them a chance to focus again.

— Video of martial arts instructor telling student ‘It’s OK to cry’ goes viral —

The space was created with the help of the Holistic Life Foundation, which describes itself as being dedicated to helping “children develop their inner lives through yoga, mindfulness, and self-care.” They have also created a program called Holistic Me in which young children from pre-K to fifth grade learn yoga, meditation and breathing exercises.

“It’s amazing,” said Kirk Philips, the Holistic Me coordinator at Robert W. Coleman. “You wouldn’t think that little kids would meditate in silence. And they do.”

And the results are astonishing at school as well, with absolutely zero suspensions last year and none so far this year at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School since implementing the program.

While the effects of meditation and mindfulness are still being studied, these are some pretty compelling results.

— Study: Meditation may reduce heart disease in black teens —