Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Meditation for the Kiddos!

I've begun to practice meditation with Kaliiya a few weeks ago. From my experience with it- it is tough to get a 5 year old to sit and practice breathing without her having a giggle attack or find an ant on the floor or anything else to distract her and throw her off. Shoot it's hard for me to clear my mind and just focus on my breath no matter how good it feels. But turning it into a fun time for her we have definitely progressed with it. We do 5-15 minutes a day (everyday is different and we must honor that) of stretching- fun animal poses...ex: down dog, cat cow, hop on one foot, be a statue, etc. then sit down and breathe.

Benefits of our children meditating:
-develops self awareness
-decreases sugar highs : )
-develops patience (since practicing meditation with Kaliiya she thinks before she throws a tantrum.. she has literally stopped to breathe before she decides to freak)
-self discipline (I believe that this will help throughout her whole life.. knowing that she controls how she feels and how she reacts)
-Independence (Kaliiya has gotten so use to having her cousins around at all times that she use to insist that she was "bored" when she was ever alone. Practicing meditation has helped her enjoy her alone time)
-Builds self esteem
-Gratitude... So important!! Let your kids talk about EVERYTHING they are grateful for and say it out loud. Best part is when they start doing this on their own : )

Best thing to remember and reminder to self is that no matter what we do our children are a reflection of ourselves so daily practice of your own meditation will be what helps our children the most. Practice what were preachin. Kaliiya is a sponge... all kids at her age are... we are molding what they see as daily life.. we are building a moral compass within them. Parents you are a blessing to your children!

See to get you started: www.learningmeditation.com/children

Much Love XO

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