Inside the dim classroom at Tutt Middle School, the silence is broken only by the soft hum of a computer at the front. Sitting at the desks are 14 seventh-graders with their eyes closed, concentrating on their breathing.
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Emily Welborn, 13 (from front); Macy Goodwin, 12; and Alexis Cook, 13, take part in the exercise, part of a study of the technique by Medical College of Georgia researchers.
Kevin Martin/Staff
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It is a scene that is being replicated in another Augusta school and could become a familiar sight nationwide if Medical College of Georgia researchers can make their case that meditation has multiple benefits for pupils.
In a study on pupils in Jim Murzynowski's science classes at Tutt, the breathing meditation lowered the pupils' blood pressures and their after-school heart rates by an average of five beats per minute, according to a study in Psychosomatic Medicine.
Based on that work, MCG's Georgia Prevention Institute was able to secure a $2 million grant to continue the technique at Butler High School, and to later compare it to students getting health education and those doing meditation and getting life skills training.
"Most people have never been taught how to deal with stress," said MCG researcher Vernon Barnes, who trains the teachers in the techniques. "In school, for example, we don't teach the kids how to deal with stress like we should. That's why we've started these types of programs."
The Tutt study shows it works for everyone, said Frank Treiber, the director of the institute and principal investigator on the grant.
"They were not selected because they were anxious or stressed out or worried about things," Dr. Treiber said. "They were your typical run-of-the-mill kids. It does say that everyone could benefit probably from some level of stress reduction, even if they're not feeling it on a regular daily basis."
Some Augusta children are getting relaxation techniques from the beginning.
Kimberly Tompkins, the owner of Sacred Space yoga studio, has been working with about 200 pupils in Head Start preschool programs in Augusta, teaching them how to breathe with their bellies and relax the mind and body through yoga.
"I think that they get it and they understand more than even the adults do," she said. "Watch a baby breathing. You see the rising and falling of the belly. At some point that's lost. So it's kind of bringing people back to your truest state."
"At that age, they have a lot of emotions, so it's sometimes difficult for them to manage," said Head Start teacher Sonya Weaver, who practices yoga. "It teaches them self-control and managing their own behavior."
Studies by the Georgia Prevention Institute have found lower disciplinary rates among students who meditated, Dr. Treiber said, which could also make the practice more attractive to schools.
Though her data is still preliminary, teaching children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder to practice transcendental meditation already is showing results at the Chelsea School in Silver Springs, Md., researcher Sarita Grosswold said.
Those kinds of positive results could lead to more schools ta- king a look at the technique, she said.
The breathing meditation method taught to Augusta science or health teachers could become that model, Dr. Treiber said.
"If they're successful, it can be incorporated into any of the health education curriculums throughout the U.S.," he said. "The teachers are calling out for it, wanting help with stress reduction."
It's one reason Mr. Murzynowski has continued the practice in his science classes this year.
"I started to do this in health to improve their overall well-being, to take care of themselves emotionally and mentally," he said. "They start better. They focus better. They seem more alert."
Dylan Goetz, 13, was skeptical at first but said the sessions really do have an impact.
"It helps you not worry about stuff and get focused on what you're doing," he said.
Lauren Volson, 14, said she plans to continue meditation on her own.
"Because it's helped me a lot," she said.
Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com.
The Impact:
Medical College of Georgia researchers working with Augusta schools are hoping their breathing meditation study could provide a model for classes nationwide.
