Meditation in schools

Catholic students attending a few northwest schools heard about the benefits of meditation during practical sessions held November 20-24.

It was part of the St Anthony’s Church of Nativity St John’s RC Church Cluster ‘Meditation Builds Community’ Meditation Month (November 1 to 30) in collaboration with the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM).

It aimed to provide the community including families, a moment to pause, de-stress, reconnect with self, the environment and God. It also connected with synodality and the idea of a listening church.

The St Anthony’s Petit Valley Boys’ RC and Girls’ RC schools, Diego Martin Boys’ RC (teachers were trained online) and Girls’ RC schools (Standard Four and Five), Diego Martin North Secondary and Diego Martin Central Secondary were visited by Pat Howai and Carolyn Skerritt, experienced meditation practitioners who conduct weekly group meditation sessions in Maraval and Malick, respectively.

In an interview with The Catholic News November 27, Howai said the children are chosen by the school to participate. The exercise begins with a question then an introduction about the different forms of prayer.

“We do vocal prayer – individually, or when we say the Rosary or [pray] in church; We also pray with our bodies—we stand, we sit, we kneel, we genuflect, we raise our hands in charismatic …and we dance too,” Howai said.

Then there is silent prayer which she commented is rarely spoken about. Quoting St John of the Cross, she stated “silence is the first language of God”.

She explained to the children that through Baptism, the Holy Spirit is in them. Howai said, “and the Holy Spirit does not come alone, it is a unity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so where the Spirit is the Father, and the Son is…”

She instructed the children about encouraging the Holy Spirit and having a “prayer word”. Howai said the use of a word is to help calm the mind which can be “going” with worries, memories, the imagination, while the body is physically still.

The word ‘maranatha’-‘Come Lord Jesus’, an Aramaic word from the dialect spoken by Jesus is recommended. Howai said the word is found in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation 22:20 and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 451 and 671. She said the citations are not just for the students but also the teachers.

“Christian prayer is characterised by the title Lord, whether in the invitation to prayer (The Lord be with you), its conclusion (through Christ our Lord) or the exclamation full of trust and hope: Maranatha (Our Lord, come!) or Marana tha (Come, Lord!) – Amen Come Lord Jesus!” (CCC 451).

The meditation exercise for secondary students lasts five minutes. She used four minutes for a group of secondary students who were particularly restless and took time to settle down. For primary children it was four minutes.

“When they hear three bells to the end, I will ask them to say the ‘glory be to the Father’ with me,” Howai said. After the meditation, they are invited to share how it felt – the secondary students are often reluctant to speak up. Primary school pupils describe the experience as peaceful and calming.

Some were seen dozing off during the meditation. Although the time can be relaxing, participants are still to maintain alertness. Drowsiness suggests to her the children need to get a better night’s sleep.

Howai gave some benefits of meditation for school children:

A calm mind. “It improves your concentration and memory, recall too, because you can then remember things, so it improves your performance. I am not saying you going from failing to getting A’s…over time and practice with meditation, unless there is something else wrong, you should improve your concentration, pay more attention in class maybe doing more in homework etc.”

Improved relationship with others. Howai said, “because you are more centred, you may not lose your temper as you used to, or you are more aware of yourself so if you feel your temper rising, you can take a break and step back, maybe do some deep breathing…”.

Meditation is “internal work” therefore the changes may not always be apparent to the person, but others will notice. “That happens a lot because the Spirit is working within you and changing you,” Howai said.

Sleep is improved but even on days when people do not have a restful night, meditation can give a little restoration. Howai clarified that it does not replace having a good night’s rest.

The fruits of meditation are listed in Galatians 5:26: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness etc. “Those are fruits that grow in you, and you have no control over that, that’s the Spirit working within you,” Howai said.

Regular practice is needed for anyone, including young people to derive the benefits of meditation.