Rabbi Implements Mindfulness Training to Increase Student Empathy
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Rabbi Michael Weichselbaum introduced mindfulness training at Bnos Malka Academy in New York. Since implementing the practice, he has observed an increase in student expressions of empathy for others. Multiple studies show that mindfulness and meditation cultivate both self-compassion and compassion for others. Functional MRI scans reveal that compassion meditation actively alters brain pathways related to perceiving feelings and emotions. Practicing compassion meditation in school may help children develop understanding and kindness in the same way they develop other skills.
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Rabbi Implements Mindfulness Training to Increase Student Empathy
- 2. As the principal of Bnos Malka Academy in New York, Rabbi Michael Weichselbaum has distinguished himself as one of the first in his position to implement in-school mindfulness training. Since introducing the practice, Rabbi Michael Weichselbaum has observed an increase in student expressions of empathy for others. Mindfulness has emerged in recent years as a promising technique for teaching students to be calm, focused, and controlled. Although advocates frequently emphasize these benefits in terms of academic success, some practitioners assert that the same focus on inner calm can cultivate greater empathy.
- 3. Multiple studies of adults have shown that meditation and mindfulness encourage both self- compassion and compassion for others, particularly in modalities that encourage participants to cultivate loving kindness. Loving kindness requires that a practitioner wish that other people be happy and free from suffering, regardless of the person's identity or actions. It is a key element of many mindfulness practices, and studies have suggested that it may have a profound effect on the practitioner's development.
- 4. In fact, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans have revealed that compassion meditation actively alters the pathways in the brain that allow an individual to perceive feelings and emotions. A child who practices compassion meditation in school may then develop understanding and kindness in the same way that he or she develops math, language, or reading skills, and his or her brain can retain these qualities for a lifetime.