Meditation Helps Kids Feel More in Control
Shortly after our kids enter into their second phase of life, which is around 7 years old, they realize that the world is made up of hard –lined rules. As each year passes they will lose a little bit of their playful spontaneous side to meet societal expectations. With this partial loss of the innocent self comes automatic behaviors that they’ll develop to keep themselves in check. When these automatic “I will be a good kid” behaviors get stressed or stretched to the maximum children can feel out of control or out of touch. Children in the ‘old’ days were allowed to play until dark and generally had no homework until after the 4th grade. So we begin to see more rigorous standards placed upon the young more and more. With the raise of early childhood diagnoses such as ADD, ADHD, Sensory Processing and Autism, we need to be even more equipped as parents to be our kids number one advocate. That means taking time to teach them ‘they’ are ultimately in control, they are fully competent, and have resources to help them through tough times. Like adults, we all need support systems – and that’s the core message we need to give our kids. Letting kids feel alone or helpless is not an option!
My six year old boy and I practice CALM, FOCUS, JOY: The Power of Breath Awareness along with other Zen like empowerment self-talk that’s age appropriate – we even do guided imagery when he’s feeling out of control (He has ADHD and SPD). We love the book Calm Focus Joy – and also feel the same as the author, Heidi Thomson, that, “Just as pure water restores physical health, pure breath awareness restores the mind’s health. “ She reminds us that our MIND is our greatest gift and that our kids need to know this early on in life. Breath awareness is one of the simplest and most effective focus training and mind-developing exercises available today. It is proven to promote brain growth, improve learning, increase focus, reduce stress, and develop empathy. Adults and children who practice regularly gain an abundance of self-knowledge and insight into their amazing mind/body phenomenon. Most everyone who practices feels more peaceful and happy.
