ABSTRACT
The Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius stated that the happiness of life depends upon the quality of an individual’s thoughts. Many of the problems we face as human beings have their origin in thought and how we perceive the world around us. These problems can manifest as anxiety, loss of focus and attention, problems with emotional regulation, as well as psychosomatic symptoms related to gut health, tension headaches, and fatigue. Meditation practice can be part of the solution here, not just for mitigating symptoms but also for promoting flourishing and well-being. Although many believe that meditation is about stopping thinking, in order to achieve an empty mind, the reality remains that it is not possible to eradicate these mental and physical processes. Instead, many meditation practices are concerned with disengaging from thoughts, memories, emotions, and sensations on a moment-by-moment basis and in a non-judgemental way. The simple but powerful practice of sitting still and upright with eyes closed for 2 minutes at a time can exert enormous benefits on our psychosocial and physical health; benefits that have been documented by research scientists across the world. In this chapter, we propose the evidence-based meditation practice of Attention-based Training (ABT) to help educators and students cultivate health within and outside of the classroom. We conclude with a case study, documenting the positive impacts of a combined ABT and Positive Psychology-based online programme for second-level students in an Irish school.
