大家新春快乐，拜个晚年。这几天一直在亲力亲为忙着筹建正念中心（mindful center）准备在2月23日开业，目的很简单存粹，帮助更多的人遇见更好的自己，中心将提供成人正念和8-18岁青少年的正念培训和练习。说来也巧，今天刚和老师确认好青少年课程分段细节时，收到一条来自美国伙伴的消息，对方分享了一篇来自于纽约时报发表的关于 正念孩子的文章，谈到正念对孩子的好处。研究结果显示，在四个月的时间里进行正念训练的孩子比不进行正念训练的孩子学习成绩更好，表现出更积极的社会行为，更少攻击性，更乐观，更能自我控制压力。
所以今天我把原文转发在此，同时为大家翻译一下其中的内容（水平不高，请勿见怪）
在开始前，或许伙伴中还有人对正念有点陌生，我先简单再介绍一下，正念是一种成人和儿童都可以练习的方法，其中有很多练习方式。关键是提升意识。一种关注当下事物的练习，尤其是我们经常会被忽视的事物，比如一个人的呼吸、感觉、思想或行为。
The New York Time
The Mindful Child
BY BOBBY AZARIAN
It’s long been known that mindfulness meditation helps children feel calmer, but new research is helping quantify its benefits for elementary school-age children. A 2015 study found that fourth- and fifth-grade students who participated in a four-month meditation program showed improvements in executive functions like cognitive control, working memory, cognitive flexibility , creativity— and better math grades.
长期以来，人们都知道正念冥想有助于孩子们平静下来，但新的研究正在帮助量化正念冥想对小学生的益处。2015年的一项研究发现，参加为期4个月的冥想项目的四、五年级学生在认知控制、记忆、认知灵活性，创造力等执行功能方面有所改善，特别是数学成绩也有所提高。
A study published recently in the journal Mindfulness found similar improvements in mathematics in fifth graders with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And a study of elementary school children in Korea showed that eight weeks of mindfulness meditation lowered aggression, social anxiety and stress levels.
最近发表在《正念》(Mindfulness)杂志上的一项研究发现，患有注意力缺陷多动障碍(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)的五年级学生在数学方面也有类似的进步。一项针对韩国小学生的研究表明，八周的正念冥想可以降低攻击性、社交焦虑和压力水平。
These investigations, along with a review published in March that combed the developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience literature, illustrate how mindfulness meditative practices have the potential to actually change the structure and function of the brain in ways that foster academic success.
这些调查，连同3月份发表的一篇梳理了发展心理学和认知神经科学文献的综述，阐明了正念冥想练习是如何促进学术成功的方式，实际改变大脑的结构和功能。
Fundamental principles of neuroscience suggest that mindfulness meditation can have its greatest impact on cognition when the brain is in its earliest stages of development.
This is because the brain develops connections in prefrontal circuits at its fastest rate in childhood. It is this extra plasticity that creates the potential for mindfulness meditation to have greater impact on executive functioning in children. Although mindfulness meditation may benefit adults more in terms of stress reduction or physical rejuvenation, its lasting effects on things like sustained attention and cognitive control are significant but ultimately less robust.
神经科学的基本原理表明，在大脑发育的最初阶段，正念冥想对认知的影响最大。
这是因为大脑在儿童时期以最快的速度在前额回路中发展连接。正是这种额外的可塑性创造了正念冥想对儿童执行功能产生更大影响的可能性。尽管正念冥想在减轻压力或恢复体力方面对成年人更有好处，它对持续注意力和认知控制等方面的持久影响是显著的。
A clinical study published in 2011 in The Journal of Child and Family Studies demonstrates this concept superbly. The research design allowed adults and children to be compared directly since they were enrolled in the same mindfulness meditation program and assessed identically. Children between 8 and 12 who had A.D.H.D. diagnoses, along with parents, were enrolled in an eight-week mindfulness-training program. The results showed that mindfulness meditation significantly improved attention and impulse control in both groups, but the improvements were considerably more robust in the children.
2011年发表在《儿童与家庭研究杂志》(Journal of Child and Family Studies)上的一项临床研究完美地证明了这一概念。研究设计允许成人和儿童直接进行比较，他们都参加了相同的正念冥想项目，评估结果是一样的。8到12岁的adhd患儿和父母一起参加了为期8周的心智训练项目。结果显示，正念冥想显著改善了两组儿童的注意力和冲动控制能力，但改善在儿童中更为明显。
Outside of the lab, many parents report on the benefits of early mindfulness meditation. Heather Maurer of Vienna, Va., who was trained in transcendental meditation, leads her 9-year-old daughter, Daisy, through various visualization techniques and focused breathing exercises three nights a week, and says her daughter has become noticeably better at self-regulating her emotions, a sign of improved cognitive control. “When Daisy is upset, she will sit herself down and concentrate on her breathing until she is refocused,” Ms. Maurer said.
在实验室之外，许多家长报告早期正念冥想的好处。弗吉尼亚州维也纳的Heather Maurer接受过正念冥想的训练，她带着9岁的女儿(Daisy)，通过各种各样的想象技巧和每周三个晚上的集中呼吸练习，她说自己的女儿在自我调节情绪方面明显做得更好了，这是认知控制能力提高的一个迹象。“当Daisy心烦意乱时，她会坐下来，专注于自己的呼吸，直到重新集中注意力，”Maurer说。
Amanda Simmons, a mother who runs her own meditation studio in Los Angeles, has seen similar improvements in her 11-year-old son, Jacob, who is on the autism spectrum. Jacob also has A.D.H.D. and bipolar disorder, but Ms. Simmons said many of his symptoms have diminished since he began daily mindfulness meditation six months ago. “The mindfulness meditation seems to act like a ‘hard reboot’ for his brain, almost instantly resolving mood swings or lessening anger,” Ms. Simmons said. She believes it has enabled him to take a lower dose of Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug used to treat bipolar disorder.
Amanda Simmons是一位母亲，在洛杉矶经营着自己的正念冥想工作室。她11岁的儿子(Jacob)患有自闭症，她的情况也有类似的改善。(Jacob)还患有注意力缺陷多动障碍和躁郁症，但Simmons说，自从他六个月前开始每天正念冥想以来，他的许多症状已经减轻。Simmons说，“正念冥想似乎是他大脑的‘硬重启’，几乎能立即解决情绪波动或减轻愤怒。”她相信这使他能够服用更小剂量的利培酮，一种用于治疗双相情感障碍的抗精神病药物。
Whether children are on mindfulness medication or not, mindfulness meditation can help instill self-control and an ability to focus. Perhaps encouraging mindfulness meditation and mind-body practices will come to be recognized as being as essential to smart parenting as teaching your child to work hard, eat healthfully and exercise regularly.
无论孩子是否在练习正念，正念冥想都可以帮助灌输自我控制和专注的能力。鼓励正念冥想和身心练习将会被认为是聪明育儿的关键，就像教育你的孩子努力工作、健康饮食和经常锻炼一样。
事实上，报告中显示，那些注意力集中的孩子在数学上比其他孩子高出15%。我们都知道正念可以减少压力和清晰激动，攻击性，它还可以积极地影响学术学习这因为正念训练让孩子安静下来，保持冷静和专注，从而提高他们的学习能力。
因此，我们教给孩子正念是很重要的，帮助他们养成如同刷牙洗脸一样的习惯尤为重要。但是请记住，如果教的人都不先练习，就不能教。我们不仅培养了新一代更善良、更成功的人，而且我们也向积极的转变敞开了自己的大门。
2月23日上海正念中心将在落户于新闸路（江宁路）让我们一起期待吧。
正念领导力文章：
了解正念：
Self Discovery Partner with Shanghai Mindfulness