In September 2007, Mariela Silveira, artistic director of Corotel (@dramarielasilveira), found pistol cartridges in the central square of Gramado. A bank was robbed and there was almost a shootout. Disturbed by this scene, Mariela began thinking of strategies to reduce the violence. He discovered in texts from scientific journals that the practice of meditation in schools in Detroit contributed to reducing violence in that North American city. She researched the school she had taught all her life in Gramado and proposed a pilot project. I will work with teachers to include very simple breathing and meditation exercises at some point in the students’ routine.
The result of the project surprised everyone. Mindfulness exercises brought more peace of mind to students, increased respect between students and teachers, and had a positive impact on Portuguese and mathematics test scores among practitioners.
It was in order to take the project to as many schools as possible that the Mente Viva Project (@mente.viva) emerged, an NGO that provides mindfulness practice to children and adolescents in educational institutions across the country.
Since its inception in 2007, more than 480,000 children in Brazil and ten other countries have practiced the exercises developed by Mariela and her team. The arrival of the lawyer, teacher, playwright, poet, educational officer, children’s author and clear, sweet voice of Paolo Moura, current general coordinator of the project, has increased the scope of Mente Viva’s texts and exercises. He and Mariela wrote “365 Practices and Meditations”, a book containing one exercise per day per year, aimed at young people and children and which has demonstration videos on YouTube (worth checking out the Mente Viva page). He has also developed a series of picture books to encourage meditation among children and young people, which have already been translated into English, Spanish, French and Khmer, a language spoken in Cambodia.
– Having well-explained and accessible practical materials helps a lot in introducing the idea into the routine of schools – said Paulo Moura.
Mariela has also formed a partnership with the Brain Institute of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), whose studies have shown improvements in working memory, reduced impulsivity and increased empathy among those who practice Mente Viva exercises.
— Since 2007, the world’s largest universities have been studying mindfulness, finding that the practice changes brain circuits. Today, mindfulness is understood as a powerful public health tool by these researchers, Mariela said.
Currently, 11 municipal schools in Gramado, Canela and the region are participating in the Jornada nas Escolas project, where teachers trained by the Mente Viva team provide daily mindfulness activities to students. The project is also the focus of major research, in partnership with the Center for Evidence-Based Education, covering 30 regions of Rio Grande do Sul.
— We will evaluate the impact of the program on learning rates, school climate, and IDEB. The study will be completed in 2026, Mariela said.
Next, one of the breathing exercises that begins all Mente Viva practices. Recommended for all ages:
Sit comfortably. Relax your arms and legs. Let your hands rest on your legs. Keep your back straight, but very comfortable. Close your eyes and imagine you are smelling a flower, drawing air towards you. slowly. Now blow air through your nose, as if you were blowing out a candle. When you smell the flower your belly should be big and when you blow out the candle it should be small. Should we do it again? Very slowly. And again. thrice.
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