Meditation's benefits. (update).

For 20 minutes every day, students at a charter school in Detroit sit, close their eyes, and seemingly do nothing.

But for 10 minutes in the morning in homeroom and 10 minutes at the end of their school days, 160 fifth- through eighth-graders at Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit are far from doing nothing. They are taking part in transcendental meditation--in a deeper rest than sleep. TM is a simple program for the mind, allowing the conscious mind to become aware of its "unbounded dignity," according to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the worldwide transcendental meditation movement.

"The way we're moving in the technological era, we're going to have to make sure we have some kind of grasp on the quality of life," says Carmen N'Namdi, principal of the K-8 charter school under Central Michigan University. "Technology is making it so difficult to ever have rest. We can e-mail you, beep you ... You are responsible 24/7, and that is very demanding."

Six years ago, a psychologist and her husband, who worked for Daimler-Chrysler, approached N'Namdi, who had already practiced TM on her own for years, to bring it to her school and learn how TM affects children.

With donations from Daimler-Chrysler and General Motors, instructors visit the school in the fall and teach students how to meditate. They also inform them how the body physiologically works during TM.

Initial findings at the University of Michigan's Complementary & Alternative Medicine Research Center show that children using TM are happier over time, have higher self-esteem, and are better able to cope with emotions and manage stress, says Rita Benn, research scientist, Other studies are in the works.

N'Namdi adds that children appear less stressed out. "One of my students said, 'I don't take myself so seriously.' It's allowing you to be more of yourself."

www.tm.org