Introduce children to Meditation and watch them grow

Children are the purest and most receptive of souls. Why not empower them with the amazing gift of meditation?

How does Meditation help children?

It helps them relax and connect with their inner calm self. With meditation, they are able to anchor themselves and draw strength from within. The practice facilitates the growth of their self-esteem, self-reliance, and confidence. Respect and love for self are at the core of any mindfulness practice. Meditation is no different. This, in turn, ensures love, empathy, and respect for others they interact with.

Why so early in life?

Deep breathing and meditation increase attentiveness, enhances focus and problem-solving ability. It fends off negative thoughts and behaviors like bullying and helps children balance their emotions.

In a world where gadgets rule our and our children’s lives, insular disconnected, and easily distracted behavior are becoming the norm. Centering and groundedness are life-long gifts of meditation, that we easily share with our young ones.

5 Easy steps to meditating with your children:

1. Focus on the breath: Let them close their eyes and notice their breath. Tell them to stay with the breath. Filling up the chest and stomach like a balloon and then emptying it out completely. Breathing in and breathing out. This is the basic mantra.
2. Visualization: Next start to draw their attention to each part of the body in a systematic, guided manner. Begin with the toes and move slowly through other parts of the body, ending at the head. You could move the other way round too. As concentration spans increase over time and repeated practice, you can move to more advanced guided visualizations, like a walk in the meadows or by the seaside…whatever appeals to the child and you.
3. Letting go: Share with the child that thoughts will come and go, and that is fine. Let them, just keep coming back to the focus on breathing in and breathing out, the moment they become aware of having drifted.
4. Duration: Start with short meditations of 3 to 5 minutes. A bell or timer to indicate the start and stop times are helpful.
5. Setting the mood: Gentle, soothing music in the background and a soft pleasant aroma helps to create the ambiance and increases receptivity.

5 Benefits when you meditate with your children:

1. Being in the now: Simply focusing on breath helps them stay in the moment and nowhere else. This is great for centering and shutting off external noise.
2. Enhancing Creativity: Visualization helps in expanding attentiveness. Moving from basic to more enhanced visualization opens the doors to a free flow of creativity and imagination.
3. Starting a journey of self-discovery: Consciously moving through one’s body or then other visualizations, helps the children connect with what is important or relevant to them in those spaces, or simply hone into where they would like to be.
4. Bonding: Doing this with your children helps in being anchored at the moment, together. Talking about the experience, thereafter, strengthens the bond and opens the communication channels for a deeper connection.
5. Learning to let go: Coming and going of thoughts, but getting back to breadth every time that happens, helps in learning to let go at a subconscious level. Becoming aware of things but not being attached to them, is the powerful tool this practice is inculcating in your child.

There will also be times when your child will be distracted, not wanting to sit and do the meditation practice. This becomes in an important lesson in letting go for you. Just let it be…there will be another time for it soon.

We may not always to be there to help our children navigate the challenges life throws up. By making meditation a part of their lives, we are helping them discover a deep sense of calm and relaxation and draw inner strength for those tough times.