More US Schools Are Taking Breaks for Meditation

A class of third-grade students in the American state of Georgia had just a few days left until summer vacation would begin.
美国乔治亚州的一班三年级学生距离暑假开始只有几天的时间了。

And lunchtime was only an hour away.
午餐时间也只有一个小时的时间了。

But the children, who attend Roberta T. Smith Elementary School in the city of Rex, were in no hurry to leave.
但是这些在雷克斯市罗伯塔·T·史密斯小学上学的孩子们并不急于离开。

They were ready for one of their favorite parts of the day.
他们已经准备好迎接一天中最喜欢的部分之一。

The children closed their eyes and moved their thumbs from their foreheads down to their hearts.
孩子们闭上眼睛，把拇指从额头移到心脏位置。

“Listen to the chimes,” said the teacher, Kim Franklin. “Remember to breathe.”
“听风铃的声音，”老师金·富兰克林说。“记得呼吸。”

Across the country, schools like Smith Elementary have been introducing mental health sessions that include yoga, meditation and mindfulness exercises.
在全国范围内，像史密斯小学这样的学校已经引入了包括瑜伽、冥想和正念练习的心理健康课程。

Students do these exercises in addition to traditional math, reading and science classes.
学生们在传统的数学、阅读和科学课之外，还进行这些练习。

Mindfulness alongside math
正念与数学并行

More American students have faced mental health struggles following the COVID-19 pandemic.
在新冠疫情之后，更多的美国学生面临心理健康问题。

In 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than one-third of students were affected by feelings of long-term sadness and hopelessness.
2023年，美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）报告称，超过三分之一的学生受到长期悲伤和绝望情绪的影响。

The agency suggested schools use mindfulness practices to help students deal with their stress and emotions.
该机构建议学校使用正念练习来帮助学生应对压力和情绪。

“We know that our teenagers and adolescents have really strained in their mental health,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told The Associated Press.
“我们知道我们的青少年在心理健康方面确实受到了很大压力，”CDC主任曼迪·科恩博士对美联社说。

“There are real skills that we can give our teens to make sure that they are coping with some big emotions.”
“我们可以教给青少年一些真正的技能，以确保他们能够应对一些强烈的情绪。”

Poor communities need more help
贫困社区需要更多帮助

Research has found that school-based mindfulness programs can help, especially in poor communities where students face higher levels of stress.
研究发现，基于学校的正念项目可以提供帮助，尤其是在贫困社区，学生面临更高的压力。

GreenLight Fund Atlanta helps school systems in the state of Georgia pay for a mindfulness program called Inner Explorer.
绿色灯基金亚特兰大分会帮助乔治亚州的学校系统支付一个名为“内在探索者”的正念项目的费用。

That is the program used at Smith Elementary, where more than two-thirds of students are Black.
这就是史密斯小学使用的项目，该校超过三分之二的学生是黑人。

Joli Cooper is GreenLight Fund Atlanta's executive director.
乔莉·库珀是绿色灯基金亚特兰大分会的执行主任。

Cooper said it was important to the group to support communities of color in the area.
库珀说，支持该地区的有色人种社区对该组织来说非常重要。

“When you look at the numbers, unfortunately, in Georgia, the number of children of color with suicidal thoughts and success is quite high,” Cooper said.
“当你看这些数据时，不幸的是，在乔治亚州，有色人种儿童有自杀想法和成功自杀的数量相当高，”库珀说。

“When you look at the number of psychologists available for these children, there are not enough psychologists of color.”
“当你看这些儿童可以获得的心理医生数量时，有色人种的心理医生数量不足。”

Information from the CDC shows that Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate among racial groups.
CDC的数据显示，黑人青年的自杀率在种族群体中增长最快。

Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black children and teens between the ages of 10 to 17 increased by 144 percent.
在2007年至2020年间，10至17岁的黑人儿童和青少年的自杀率增加了144%。

Nationwide, children in schools that serve mostly students of color have less access to mental health professionals than children in schools that serve mostly white students.
在全国范围内，以有色人种学生为主的学校的孩子们获得心理健康专业人员的机会比以白人学生为主的学校的孩子们少。

The Inner Explorer program guides students and teachers through five-to-10-minute sessions of breathing, meditation and reflection several times a day.
“内在探索者”项目每天多次引导学生和教师进行5至10分钟的呼吸、冥想和反思练习。

The program is used at over 100 school systems across the U.S.
该项目在美国超过100个学校系统中使用。

Teachers and administrators say they have noticed a difference in their students since they've added mindfulness into their daily activities.
教师和管理员说，自从他们将正念融入日常活动以来，他们已经注意到学生的变化。

Nine-year-old Aniyah Woods is a student in Kim Franklin's class at Smith Elementary.
九岁的阿尼娅·伍兹是史密斯小学金·富兰克林班的学生。

Aniyah said the program has helped her “calm down” and “not stress anymore.”
阿尼娅说，这个项目帮助她“冷静下来”并“再也不紧张了”。

She added, “It made me feel peaceful.”
她补充说：“它让我感到平静。”

Malachi Smith, also 9, has used his exercises at home.
马拉奇·史密斯也是九岁，他在家里也做这些练习。

His father helps guide him through meditation.
他的父亲帮助他进行冥想。

“You can relax... and when I calm myself down, I realize I am an excellent scholar,” Malachi said.
马拉奇说：“你可以放松……当我让自己平静下来时，我意识到我是一个优秀的学者。”