"MINDFUL MOMENTS"
Lausanne has been at the forefront of the mindfulness movement for a decade, continuing to integrate new techniques each year to benefit our students.
Before every class period, classroom teachers lead the students in a brief “Mindful Moment” (typically from 30 seconds to two minutes) to help the students get focused and ready to learn. Mindfulness trainers also come to campus several times per year to lead our teachers through mindfulness sessions to better deal with stress and fatigue.
Why Mindfulness In The Classrooms?
- Youth in the United States are experiencing increasing rates of mental illness.
- Research demonstrates that mindfulness training in schools helps to prevent anxiety and depression.
- School-based mindfulness programs also promote engagement, emotion regulation, social skills, optimism, and productive behavior.
"Part of the reason why mindfulness is so effective for children can be explained by how the brain develops. While our brains are constantly developing, connections in the prefrontal circuits are created at their fastest rate during childhood. Mindfulness, which promotes skills that are controlled in the prefrontal cortex, like focus and cognitive control, can therefore have a particular impact on the development of skills including self-regulation, judgment and patience during childhood." - David Gelles (New York Times)
"Whenever you do a mindfulness moment, it always helps your brain reset for the next class. Anything that might have been getting on your mind, forget about it, and go on with your day." - Will Carter '24
Scientific research on mindfulness in schools in the past decade reveals benefits for students, including:
- Better Focus
- Increased capacity for learning
- Improved observation skills
- Emotional development
- Increased self-compassion
- Improved grades and behavior
- Less impulsivity