Last year, Lausanne Collegiate School added optional meditation classes for its middle school students. Kids could choose to opt out of recess one day a week in exchange for a guided meditation class led by Peddler Bike Shop founder Daniel LaMontagne.
Those sessions have been so successful, Lausanne is now beginning meditation classes for its high school students. Starting last week, those students had the option of skipping their daily 35-minute advisory period — the time they meet with their academic adviser — in favor of finding some inner peace.
The six-week meditation course for high school students is also led by LaMontagne, and the first session of 25 students is already at maximum capacity.
Greg Graber, the principal at Lausanne, said he’s been traveling the world to talk about Lausanne’s successful meditation program. He’s led talks in Philadelphia, Des Moines, Iowa, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“Our students today live in this accelerated culture. Everything is done at hyper-speed, at the touch of a button. It seems like they’re always plugged in,” Graber said. “This is way for them to relax and focus.”
Graber said, since the school began implementing meditation for its middle school students, he has noticed a big change in some students’ abilities to focus on school work.
