Meditation - Kids/Teens

Obviously, practicing meditation for children on a regular basis (even just a few minutes per day) will have great effects for both you and your children. They will also appreciate that you are participating. Imagine having children that begin to show the benefits listed above. I know that as a parent you would be happy if even just one of those things helped your child, and I bet your child would too.

A new study published in the International Journal of Yoga found that when children are trained to practice meditation, their attention spans are significantly increased.

The researchers tested two yoga-based relaxation practices involving specific meditation and rest techniques with 208 school children (132 boys and 76 girls) between the ages of 13 and 16 years of age. Their attention spans were tested before and after practicing the two techniques: meditation and rest.

Both meditation and rest improved the childrens’ attentiveness significantly but meditation had the greatest impact on the attention scores, regardless of gender or age of the children.

New Life Transformations will begin to offer 10 week courses of meditation for children age 9 to 17.  Cost is just $50.00 for the 10 week program.  Meditation for Children & Teens will be Wednesday’s from 7pm to 8pm.  First class is set for Feb 8^th to April 11, 2012

Meditation for children just might be the key to raising offspring with a sense of focus and well being. Meditation for children can alleviate stress and anxiety, frustration, fear, anger, restlessness, and many more symptoms children suffer in this fast paced life we live in.

Meditation For Children Can Help With The Following Common Problems:-

·           Stress
·           Anxiety
·           Panic Attacks
·           ADHD
·           Hyperactivity
·           Aggression
·           Restlessness
·           Sleeping Problems

Benefits of Meditation for Children

·           Reduced Prolonged Stress
·           Reduced Anxiety
·           Reduction in the Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder
·           A Calmer Sense of Being
·           Ability to Sleep on a Regular Schedule and Sleep Well
·           Reduced Aggression
·           A Sense of Relaxation
·           An Improvement in Concentration
·           An Improvement in the Ability to Focus
·           Better Creativity
·           A Clearer Memory
·           Better Awareness
·              Better Ability to Deal with Stress
·           Increased Tranquility
·           A Healthier Mind and Body
·           A Lower Risk of Possible Future Health Problems

An exciting pilot study shows that mindfulness may benefit children as young as four and five. Last year the Mindful Awareness Research Center
(MARC) at UCLA introduced a mindfulness program to preschoolers, the first controlled study on that age group. Mindfulness increased the preschoolers’ memory, planning and organization. Impacting a child’s development at such an early age has the potential for wide-reaching effects. While the results look promising, they are preliminary and further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Perhaps some of the most exciting possibilities are for children with special needs. Researchers at MARC completed another pilot study on the effects of mindfulness on teenagers and adults with attention deficit disorders (ADD). Though more research is needed, the participants experienced significant improvements in inattention and hyperactivity.