INVEST IN THE STUDENTS OF TODAY…THEY ARE THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW
"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." Transcendental Meditation is much more than an idea -- it is a powerful, proven technology to unfold our most precious natural resource -- the human mind. It is a technology whose time has come. The whole of society is already the better for it -- the future will be even brighter.” - Robert Roth
We live in a society where students are taunted by technology and manipulated by the media, yet they are expected to concentrate, be still, stay focused, and pay attention at the same time. Stress in the classroom is creating problems in education, including poor academic achievement, anxiety, depression, and violence. In the book Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Robert M. Sapolsky, a Stanford University professor of psychology, enumerated the many ways that brain functions break down when subjected to chronic stress: "Hippocampal neurons no longer work as well," "neural networks get disconnected," "the birth of new neurons is inhibited," and "hippocampal neurons become endangered." Translation: brains under chronic stress will have trouble learning new things and committing new material to memory ("Stress and Your Child's Brain”). Often times because stress is so common it can be overlooked, it is the overlooking of the stress, and anxiety that is causes many of the issues in the classrooms today.
Researchers have discovered that a specific meditation called Transcendental Meditation (TM) reduces stress and anxiety in students. Studies show that if the Transcendental Meditation technique is implemented into America’s public school curriculum the stress and anxiety levels in students will decrease and wit...
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Works Cited
"9 Reasons Why Meditation Should Be Allowed in Public Schools." The Daily Heal (2006): 1. Print.
Cranson, Robert W., Jayne Gackenbach, Michael C. Dillbeck, Christopher H. Jones, Charles N. Alexander, and David W. Orme-Johnson. "Transcendental Meditation and Improved Performance on Intelligence-related Measures: A Longitudinal Study." Personality and Individual Differences 12.10 (1991): 1105-116. Www.sciencedirect.com. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
Roth, Robert. Introduction. Transcendental Meditation. New York: D.I. Fine, 1987. 5-63. Print.
"Stress and Your Child's Brain." GreatSchools. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .
"The Transcendental Meditation Program." Research on Transcendental Meditation. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. .
When I was first exposed to the concept of Transcendentalism in my English class, the idea seemed farfetched and rather abstract. Upon further readings and research, I discovered that the concepts, although they originally seemed esoteric, where works of true brilliance. Society has made it hard for individuals to exist when things like popular culture seemingly brainwash youth into doing whatever is considered “cool”. Transcendentalism is a powerful concept which should be acknowledged by my generation, for the points encompassed in Transcendentalism are more vital today than ever. Transcendentalism is the philosophy of striving to live a life of independence, simplicity, and oneness with nature.
Proponents of the Transcendental Meditation program initiated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have expressed their ideas in various web sites on the World Wide Web, through pages such as The Transcendental Meditation Program at http://www.tm.org and the Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program of the Maharishi University of Management at http://www.miu.edu/TM_Research. In these sites positive messages are conveyed about the benefits of meditation to its practitioner within the physiological, psychological, sociological, intellectual, and interpersonal realms. Within these sites, the web-browser is presented with an abundance of information relating the vast array of health benefits offered to an individual through the regular practice of what is described as the simplest, most natural form of awareness--what practitioners of the technique term "transcendental consciousness." Through this technique, its advocates assert, one can:
A life of simplicitic values and self-awareness is crucial in reaching an internal meditative state. Transcendentalism was a spreading movement based upon values of self-enlightenment through reaching a state of living on basic necessities. These beliefs integrated that humankind, nature, and God were somehow all interconnected, but the link was out of reach to the participant of normal society. Likewise, they believes that one should extend the limitations that a normal way of life builds, to experience something greater. This pursuit of passion integrated a way of living independent from an outer society. These set of beliefs were based upon the internal need to find one’s identity through free will. The challenge of withdrawing from a life
In Eastern cultures, meditation has been practiced for over two thousand years. Through this training a culture has developed in which an individual is empowered to engaged in preventative behaviors, which reduce stress and morbidity, resulting in a general state of wellbeing, with stability and mental peace in the face of everyday challenges (Richardson and Lutz, 2008). Over the last half-century, the western-scientific community has begun to evaluate the efficacy of the eastern methods of meditation. In the modern western world there is an over abundance of stress, pressure and over stimulation. These conditions often result in stress-related morbidity, high levels of anxiety and mental illnesses. This cause and effect relationship is well established, and typically emphasis is placed on symptom control and less on preventative behavior modification. There are clinically documented see table 1, meditation practices that can be taught over a short period of time to an individual which have been shown to have positive results. Meditation can be used preventatively in supporting immune function and during illness as a method to aid healing and wellbeing for nominal costs. This paper will make an literary examination of a variety of studies of which examine the role of meditation training in regards to promoting immune function in athletes, recovering cancer patients, in addition to reducing stress and promoting well being in business professionals, cancer patients and seasoned meditation practitioners.
Transcendentalism is a much-debated theory from the mid 1800s, championed by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Many people have questioned the value of Transcendentalism, and in this modern age, less and less of them seem to appreciate it. I am one of the few who finds some value in this old theory. Let me explain why.
“The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy.”(Emerson 196). These two lines written by Ralph Waldo Emerson exemplify the whole movement of transcendentalist writers and what they believed in. Though to the writers, transcendentalism was a fight for a belief, unknown to them they could have been fighting for the betterment of human health. The transcendentalist writings of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson have directly affected the health of modern society through the idea of transcendental meditation. Through modern science, scientists have linked increases in health among individuals through the use of transcendental meditation.
Transcendentalism was conceivably one of the most important movements in American history. It was an influential philosophy, brought to life by thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Though this movement’s prime was during the 1800s, its way of thinking can still be influential today. With powerful morals and spiritualistic views, people in today’s society could easily grasp onto transcendentalism and move toward a more free-minded lifestyle, just like Emerson and Thoreau wanted their society to
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
05 May 2014. Barbor, Cary. " The Science of Meditation.
Travis, F., & Arenander, A. (2006). Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of effects of transcendental meditation practice on interhemispheric frontal asymmetry and frontal coherence. PB Informa Healthcare. International Journal of Neuroscience, 116(12), 1519. doi:10.1080/00207450600575482
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
As one can see, meditation is a sacred act that can have endless benefits. As well as being a physical act, activities such as transcendental meditation can also be fulfilling spiritually and mentally. Through deep concentration and relaxation, meditation becomes an altered state of consciousness. This essay has shown many ways as to why this is so. Through the simple acts of letting one’s mind go, there are endless possibilities that can happen. Without meditation and altered states of consciousness, the world as we know it would be completely different.
The first grant proposal addressed the effects of meditation on life-span cognitional developmental processes. From my understanding, there is a strong connection to the mindset and self-awareness, as one chooses to mediate for their own reason. Based on the informed information, meditation is used to decrease stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The provided background information and predicted research study will help determine the pros and cons of the process, using the meditation techniques.
Transcendental Meditation is a scientifically proven technique to develop the full potential of the individual consciousness by releasing stresses in the nervous system. It allows the mind to go inward natur...
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2010). Health info. Meditation: An introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm