76 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT
Carlson (2009) refer to this as a shift to conscious responding versus automatic reactivity. In
mindful traditions, suffering is thought to arise from the habitual ways in which we react
and the seemingly automatic grip our mental habits have on us (Shapiro & Carlson, 2009).
With mindfulness, one can be aware of thoughts as just thoughts, aware of emotions as sim-
ply emotions (Kabat-Zinn, 2013; Brown et al., 2007). See Chapter 3 for principles 3 (i.e., I am
mindfully aware), 4 (i.e., I work toward presence in my physical body), and 7 (i.e., I choose
my focus and actions) of the 12 principles for growth and learning.
In a systematic evidence-based review of the effects of meditation interventions in
schools, Waters et al. (2015) analyzed 15 peer-reviewed studies of school meditation pro-
grams. They looked specifically at well-being, social competence, and academic achieve-
ment. Within the 15 studies, the overall number of participants in the effect size analysis
was 1,797. The studies yielded 76 distinct results where the effect size could be effectively
calculated (Waters et al., 2015). Overall, the researchers found that 61% of the results were
statistically significant; 76% of the results had small effects; 24% of the results had medium
effects; and 9% showed a large effect of meditation on student outcomes (Waters et al., 2015).
Some types of meditation appeared to show better results. For example, Transcendental
Meditation (i.e., silently repeating a word or mantra [meaningful phrase] to achieve a med-
itative state, with an ongoing redirecting of attention back to the word or mantra when
distracted) showed a higher percentage of significant effects than other types of medita-
tion programs (Waters et al., 2015). The authors note that these findings need to be further
validated as the results could be due to characteristics related to the settings and program
delivery rather than the meditation program itself (Waters et al., 2015). Overall, the authors
report that meditation positively influences student success by improving cognitive func-
tioning and emotion regulation (Waters et al., 2015). See Chapter 7 for more on the specific
findings of the study.
To illustrate, Samuel, a third-grade student, took part in the school meditation program.
This program included a loving-kindness meditation in which the students were instructed
to focus their attention on themselves and then on other people in their lives with compas-
sion, warmth, and care (see Waters et al., 2015; see also Chapter 5). Samuel came into the
program challenged by peer relationships. He often struggled to be friendly to kids who had
previously hurt his feelings. He kept a mental list of the kids he did not like anymore. Even
if they were nice to him presently, he refused to engage in free-time activities with anyone
on his mental list. If he was forced into paired work with any of the kids on his growing list,
he was rude, often refused to effectively collaborate, and argued with his peers. During the
loving-kindness meditation, Samuel was asked to call to mind someone whom he did not
get along with well. This was easy for him as Mark, the boy whose desk was right next to
Samuels’s, came quickly to mind. The teacher asked Samuel, and all of the students in class, to
wish for the person to be happy, to be healthy, to feel peaceful, and to feel relaxed and at ease.
The first few times the class did this meditation, Samuel shared with the class that he
found this to be very hard to do. He said he was too mad at some people (i.e., Mark and
the other kids on his list) to wish good things for them. His teacher told him that was okay
and asked Samuel to keep trying and see what happens. Samuel kept practicing. He noticed
that the anger he felt could be strong, or it could fade a bit if he focused on something else.
After a while, he noticed that sometimes his anger went away altogether. As the weeks went
by, Samuel’s teacher noticed a softening in Samuel’s peer interactions. She even noticed
an improvement in his partner work in the classroom. When she checked in with him, he
explained that, in order to wish Mark well, he had to stop paying so much attention to his