Mindfulness in Education: The Intersection of Buddhism and Neuroscience

Abstract

This thesis makes an argument for mindfulness, not as a therapeutic tool, but as a practice that can be taught in elementary classrooms through specific curricula to help students to focus attention, self-regulate behaviors, and calm emotions - crucial factors for achieving academic and social success in school and in life. Many current papers have linked meditative practices with cognitive outcomes yet none have established a model that maps the mechanics of mindfulness meditation to executive functions and describes how mindfulness can create long-term changes in students' neurodevelopment.