“Natural spirituality is the direct sense of listening to the heartbeat of the universe, of being one with the seen and unseen world, open and at ease in that connection”.
Lisa Miller, Professor of Psychology and Education and the Founding Director of the Spirituality & Mind Body Institute
A Transnational Awakening in Education
Since late 2024, a powerful movement has started to take shape on both sides of the North American border, affirming spirituality as a central dimension of whole-child education.
In October 2024, over 400 educators, researchers, and policymakers from 26 U.S. states and 15 countries convened at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York for the Awakened Education: Engaging the Spiritual Core conference. Organized by Dr. Lisa Miller, founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute (SMBI), the event marked a turning point: spirituality was recognized not as a religious add-on, but as an evidence-based foundation of resilience, well-being, and ethical growth in K-12 education. Neuroscientific findings and new pedagogical models demonstrated how cultivating connection to self, others, nature, and meaning can transform classrooms into spaces of belonging, curiosity, and purpose.
This momentum extended into Toronto, Canada, in June 2025, where research and institutional initiatives further legitimized spirituality’s role in education. A Brock University study identified spirituality as a “non-tangible determinant of health” for adolescents, emphasizing four relational domains (self, others, nature, and transcendence) as vital to mental health. At the same time, national gatherings, such as the 12th International Spirituality Conference of the Canadian Society for Spirituality & Social Work, brought together scholars and practitioners to explore spirituality’s role in education, social justice, and cultural renewal. Dr. Lisa Miller’s presence as keynote speaker underlined the continuity between U.S. and Canadian efforts.
Together, these events illustrate a growing transnational paradigm shift: spirituality is emerging as an essential pillar of whole-child learning, bridging science, practice, and cultural transformation.
In this context, spirituality does not mean teaching a specific religion. Instead, it refers to relational awareness: connection to oneself, to others, to nature, and sometimes to a transcendent or collective dimension. Spiritual pedagogy encourages curiosity, wonder, a sense of belonging, and a sense that life has significance beyond competition and achievement. It can include practices such as mindfulness, meditation, engagement with the natural world, symbolic rituals, or simply nurturing authentic relationships between teachers and students.
From Science to Practice: The Evidence of Spiritual Growth
Recent neuroscientific studies shared at the conference indicate that individuals who regularly engage in spiritual practices show greater cortical thickness in brain regions associated with spiritual awareness such as the parietal, precuneus, and occipital lobes. By contrast, those suffering from chronic depression tend to show thinning in those same areas. These findings suggest a biological basis for the protective and growth-oriented effects of spiritual engagement.
In parallel, educational research is helping translate this science into practice. Through the Awakened Schools Institute, SMBI and the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education (CSE) are helping K-12 schools adopt twelve “drivers” of spiritually supportive learning environments, such as recognizing each child’s spiritual core, cultivating nature’s consciousness, and promoting meaningful learning connected to service and purpose. Educators involved in these programs report not only better tools and frameworks, but also a shared language for integrating spiritual awareness into their daily work.
The effects of spiritually informed education are already being observed. Students in schools that intentionally incorporate spiritual values report greater psychological resilience: they handle stress and adversity more effectively, and are less likely to feel overwhelmed. Additionally, these students often display improved well-being; they describe their schools as places where they are valued not only for academic outcomes but for who they are. Ethical development also strengthens, as qualities like compassion, responsibility, fairness, and justice start to permeate the daily environment.
Teachers are also changed by this shift. Those participating in SMBI or CSE programs often say that recognizing and nurturing their own spiritual core helps them reconnect with why they entered the profession in the first place. Many report more engaged students, more cohesive school cultures, and a stronger sense of mission in their work. Classrooms become less fragmented; school communities more inclusive. These are not isolated anecdotes, but findings backed by multiple workshops, surveys, and the collective testimony of participants.
Educating the Spirit: A New Vision for Humanity
This emerging recognition of spirituality’s role in education is more than a passing trend. It could well be transformative for humanity.
First, it shifts the focus from producing test scores and competition toward nurturing the whole child, including inner life, moral compass, and sense of purpose. In a time when mental health challenges among youth are rising, this is particularly urgent.
Second, spirituality, when understood inclusively, strengthens social cohesion and intercultural understanding. It cultivates empathy, respect, and tolerance, reminding us of fundamental human connections and shared purpose. Third, facing global issues such as climate change, inequality, and societal polarization, we need more than technical solutions; we need values, vision, and consciousness. Education that supports the spiritual core helps equip young people to contribute in meaningful, ethical ways.
Finally, embracing spiritual development in education fosters diversity of expression (intellectual, artistic, contemplative) and reinforces that every child brings something unique to the table. Innovation arises not only in technology or science, but in how we relate to each other, to the environment, and to what is beyond the immediate self.
The Awakened Education conference and SMBI’s expanding initiatives mark the beginning of a broader movement. As more schools adopt spiritually supportive pedagogies, research continues to build, and educators integrate spiritual awareness into policy, curriculum, and school culture, the potential for impact increases. With evidence mounting, this approach no longer sits on the margins. It is entering mainstream educational conversation.
For society, this means a hopeful future: students will be better equipped to cope, connect, and act ethically; teachers will be more fulfilled; schools will be more compassionate; and humanity will be more attuned to purpose, connection, and shared well-being. In education, the awakening of spirit may be one of our greatest opportunities to cultivate a more resilient, compassionate, and enlightened generation.
