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The New York Times: The subject of focus comes up a lot in my discussions with people about work. We talk about the constant interruptions of working in the digital age, of the mistakes we make while multitasking and the efforts to find quiet places to think. Maggie Jackson has been paying attention to these questions for quite some time, and the result is a thoughtful new book, “Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age” (Prometheus). … Click to read more »

Newsweek: Transcendental meditation is meant to make kids calmer, happier. But for some parents, it’s having the opposite effect. A small but growing movement is bringing Transcendental Meditation into more U.S. schools as a stress-buster for America’s overwhelmed kids. However, critics believe that TM is a repackaged Eastern religious philosophy that should not be infiltrating public schools. Read more here.

Boston Globe: Youthful offenders are taught yoga to help them relax, meditate, and, perhaps, turn their lives around. Yoga for juvenile offenders is relatively rare, but yoga and similar stress-relieving practices such as meditation have been used in prisons for years. Read more here.

Seattle Post Intelligencer: Dow Gordon works for the Freedom Project, a Seattle nonprofit that helps prisoners change their lives. Using a Zen toolbox — meditation, mindfulness and nonviolent communication, Gordon helps society’s “throwaways” realize their potential inner wealth. The approach is making such a difference that top state administrators awarded Gordon the Volunteer of the Year award for his work at Monroe Correctional Complex. He’s one of the first — if not the first — ex-felon to receive that honor. … Click to read more »