Mindfulness Programs in Education

Mindfulness programs were introduced in classrooms primarily to address mental health issues among children, drawing inspiration from the transcendental meditation movement of the late 1970s. These programs gained traction in the early 2000s, with studies showing positive results for adults, which led researchers to explore their applicability for children, given their rising mental health challenges. However, a significant randomized control trial, Myriad, conducted with 8,000 children in the UK, presented disappointing results, suggesting that such interventions do not yield the expected benefits for students. Critics argue that the traditional application of these programs in classrooms may be unsuitable, especially when conducted by non-specialist teachers, potentially leading to adverse effects rather than improvement.