The David Lynch Foundation has partnered with the Brooklyn Urban Garden School (BUGS), a new public charter middle school, to teach meditation to the entire student population. BUGS' mission is to prepare middle school students for success through a focus on environmental sustainability. Incorporating meditation practice into students' daily classroom curriculum will foster greater emotional intelligence and cognitive development, creating a sustainable inner environment for each individual.
Urban youth are under tremendous pressure to perform academically even while coping with difficulties outside the classroom. In communities where violence and crime are the norm, many youth suffer from stress and anxiety that can trigger physical, emotional and cognitive issues. While the academic curriculum at BUGS was developed to address the need for quality public middle school options in Brooklyn, if students are to reach their full potential, we must also address their inner environment.
DLF endeavors to teach the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique to the entire student population at BUGS during the 2013-14 school year. Over 340 peer-reviewed studies, including many conducted within student populations, demonstrate the effectiveness of TM for reducing stress and stress-related ailments and enhancing academic performance. TM gives students a practical tool that empowers them to release stress and, at the same time, enliven their creativity and learning readiness.
Research indicates that Transcendental Meditation (TM) is of significant value for students. Key findings include a 10% improvement in academic achievement; 40% reduction in symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression; and, 86% decrease in suspension rates over two years. Meditating students also score higher on intelligence tests and standardized academic tests and exhibit higher graduation rates as compared to non-meditating students.
