Resources & Downloads for Meditation in Schools

Tips for downloading: PDF files can be viewed on a wide variety of platforms -- both as a browser plug-in or a stand-alone application -- with Adobe's free Acrobat Reader program. Click here to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

Click on any link below to view or download that file.

Documents to Help You Get Started

• Quiet Time Primer

  Introduction to implementing Quiet Time in the classroom

• Bell Schedule

  Bell schedule at Visitacion Valley Middle School

• Code of Conduct

  Visitacion Valley Middle School code of conduct for students

• Parent Letter

  Parent letter outlining the Quiet Time program at Visitacion Valley Middle School

• Parent Permission Form

  Permission form for students to be trained in Transcendental Meditation* as part of the Quiet Time program

Additional Resources on the Web

School Meditation Programs

• Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE) --The nonprofit organization responsible for implementing the Quiet Time program at Visitacion Valley Middle School; specializes in high-impact, whole-school transformation through meditation-based stress-reduction and readiness-to-learn programs

• MindUP -- An educational initiative of The Hawn Foundation, is a mindful-awareness program developed in consultation with University of British Columbia professor Kimberly Schonert-Reichl

• Inner Kids -- A mindful-awareness practices training program researched by UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center

• Learning to BREATHE -- A mindfulness-based curriculum for adolescents, developed by Patricia Broderick, a research associate at the Penn State University Prevention Research Center and former director of the Stress Reduction Center at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• David Lynch Foundation -- A nonprofit that funds the implementation of stress-reducing techniques including Transcendental Meditation for at-risk populations

• Mindful Schools -- A program using mindfulness to teach kids how to manage emotion, handle stress and resolve conflict

• The Lineage Project -- A program using awareness-based practices such as yoga and meditation to teach mindfulness to at-risk and incarcerated teenagers

• The Impact Foundation -- A program that trains K-12 teachers in mindfulness through its SMARTinEDUCATION eight-week program

Guidelines to Lead Meditation

• Mindfulness: A Teacher's Guide -- From PBS.org

• Tips for Teaching Mindfulness to Kids -- From the Greater Good Science Center

• How To Teach The Relaxation Response -- A series of seminar videos by Herbert Benson, graduate of and associate professor at Harvard Medical School

Resources for Learning Meditation

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) -- Secular form of meditation that has been studied extensively and has been shown to improve a number of health indicators and shows strong potential for reducing stress

• Relaxation Response -- Herbert Benson's Relaxation Response is a physical state of deep rest that can be achieved through meditation; it has been shown to reduce physiological symptoms brought on by stress in numerous peer-reviewed studies

• Mayo Clinic YouTube Video -- Video developed by Mayo Clinic about iPhone application for daily meditation practice

* Transcendental Meditation® and TM® are registered or common law trademarks and are used under sublicense.

What do you think about this Schools That Work story? We'd love to hear from you!
Tweet your answer to @edutopia, comment below, or email us.