What Your Child Will Get out of Transcendental Meditation
You love your children—they are the sun and the moon and the stars. But sometimes they have difficulties you don’t know how to address successfully. Fortunately, children, as early as age 10, can learn and practice Transcendental Meditation easily in the same way adults are taught. This article discusses what they (and their parents) can derive from the TM technique.
Same practice—different expressions
There is a broad range of benefits that TM will deliver to children. Every child is unique in her personality, strengths and weaknesses, so some child will notice one result from meditating while another notices a different one. One might notice greater athletic ability while another increases her social circle. In general, for example, a 10-year-old may simply become happier and easier to be around. A middle schooler becomes more balanced and focused. A teenager feels less overwhelmed and more self-directed. Over time, with regular meditation, everyone experiences most of TM’s benefits. All will gain inner stability and self-confidence, and will be less prone to picking up bad habits from other kids.
The TM technique gives kids, at every stage, a way to reset from the inside out.
More than 430 research studies have been published on the Transcendental Meditation program. The benefits indicated usually apply to people at every age (i.e. reduced stress, reduced anxiety and depression, better relationships, etc.). There has also been research specifically on children and students. Across multiple studies of students and adolescents, TM has been associated with:
- Reduced anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms
- Improved academic performance and test scores and reduced absenteeism
- Enhanced cognitive function and brain integration
- Greater emotional regulation and self-awareness
Let’s delve into specific areas of interest.
Brain and focus
From late childhood through adolescence, the brain is undergoing major integration.
Published studies show that TM is associated with more coherent brainwave activity, better integration between brain regions, and improved executive functioning. These findings correlate with clearer thinking, more manageable emotions, and increased ease and efficiency of learning.
Around age 10–12, the academic load sharply increases—but the brain is still wiring its capacity for attention. TM reduces the internal “noise” that interferes with attention. This translates in the child’s life as longer attention span, clearer comprehension, and less mental fatigue.
Research with middle and high school students also showed improvements in cognitive function, creativity, and learning ability.
Even children with symptoms of ADD and ADHD realize significant improvements.
Nervous system
The TM technique is a rare and miraculous tool for kids—it is a way to settle themselves mentally, physically and emotionally from within—effortlessly.
Kids don’t usually express themselves verbally in a self-aware way as they will when they are more mature. They wouldn’t usually say “I’m stressed.” Instead, they show it—through restlessness, irritability, anxiety, or withdrawal.
TM provides deep rest that allows stress to dissolve significantly at a physiological level. Results can be subtle but unmistakable. For example, one may notice that a child becomes easier going, exhibits fewer emotional spikes and recovers more quickly, and is less overwhelmed by situations than before. In school settings, this has translated into measurable reductions—one study found a 36% decrease of psychological distress in students practicing TM.
Confidence
At any age, identity is fragile and often externally driven, but probably more so in youth. TM reduces stress and anxiety and expands inner awareness. Stability increases. Kids become less dependent on peer approval and don’t need constant validation for their self-image.
In research, young participants reported increased self-esteem and improved relationships alongside reduced stress.
Behavior
When the nervous system is less stressed, behavior spontaneously reflects the calmer, clearer mind. Observed benefits are not due to imposed discipline but from clearer brain function. Examples in children ten through teens include:
- less impulsivity
- better judgment
- fewer disciplinary issues
Emotional stability
We all know about dealing with changing hormones. As hormones come online, emotions intensify. Behaviour can become extreme, erratic and ungovernable. Without a way to release stress, reactivity increases. (Reactive behavior is an automatic, often emotional response, characterized by acting without reflection.)
Students practicing TM commonly have increased self-awareness. They develop the ability to think first before lashing out. They have more flexibility in their emotional responses.
In a qualitative study of middle schoolers, students reported improved emotional intelligence and self-regulation after practicing TM.
Let’s face it—the stages a child goes through from the onset of adolescence to adulthood aren’t a breeze for anyone. Parents and children alike will benefit from Transcendental Meditation—it can turn the potential for growing pains into the potential for happiness.
Contact a local TM teacher to get the best tool for your child’s toolbox.
About the Author
Susan Linden is a mom and a certified teacher of the TM technique with 17 years of experience as a certified school psychologist.
