California kids MEDITATE in school (audio)

Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly; Katrina Schwartz; Jello Biafra

Children who are nervous about the new school year can relax by practicing “mindfulness” during anxious moments, researchers say. Experts at Duke University, in Durham, N.C., recommend mindfulness, which is a technique borrowed from [Buddhist] meditation... More

  

Meditation is even better than I thought!

The Buddha's original teaching of mindfulness (sati and satipatthana) meditation is being used to help businesses, psychology researchers, therapy patients, prisoners, and now very young school children. The option is wonderful, but force would not be.

Punk rock legend Jello Biafra while leading the Dead Kennedys warned about then Gov. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown, who by coincidence is again the governor of California. His New Age ideas seem finally to have come true.

Gov. Brown and Linda Ronstadt (latimes.com)

"I am Governor Jerry Brown/ My aura smiles and never frowns/ Soon I will be president/ Carter power will soon go away/ I will be fuhrer one day/ I will command all of you/ Your kids will meditate in school/ California Uber Alles.../ Zen fascists will control you/ One hundred percent natural/ You will jog for the master race/ And always wear the happy face/ Close your eyes, can't happen here/ Big Bro on white horse is near..."

Lynda Jean Carter, the U.S. Wonder Woman

The Dead Kennedys, who are from the Bay Area, were very open to Eastern philosophy and religion in their day. But they were not into having a "nanny state" under Gov. Brown.

At that time Brown seemed to be attempting to legislate happiness, health, and well-intentioned progressive New Age views as he dated Latina-American pop singer Linda Ronstadt. (Interestingly, for those who did not know that Linda Ronstadt was Hispanic, it may come as a surprise that her 1970s contemporary "Wonder Woman" Lynda Carter was, too. Bet You Didn't Know They Were Hispanic).

 

Using mindfulness to teach coping skills

Katrina Schwartz, California Report (Take Two, scpr.org, Feb. 11, 2014)

Richmond, CA children practicing mindfulness in school (Katrina Schwartz/KQED)

 

Finally, I'm a good role model

[The Buddha is not being credited directly but] A group of Nystrom Elementary third graders practice a "mindful minute" with a Mindful Life Project instructor. Every Nystrom class gets 20 minutes of mindfulness training per week.

 

Across California, some schools are experimenting with mindfulness training -- or meditation -- as a way to help students.

Om. Om. Om. Meditating is way cool.

Plenty of school kids deal with a world of emotional problems, but some kids have a whole host of issues greater than usual -- drug abuse in the home, incarcerated parents, or even homelessness.

Reporter Katrina Schwartz visited the Bay Area city of Richmond to find out how the new approach is working. LISTEN: PLAY AUDIO

I can be calm and ADHD-free.

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