(photo from: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/everything-kids/what-we-can-learn-from-the-school-that-replaced-detention-with/)
In my last post, I talked about the law of attraction for kids. It's something I practice in my daily life, so of course I wanted to bring it to the after-school program I work at.
As part of the law of attraction, I wanted to try meditation with the kids. I knew it would be difficult, but I thought some would really enjoy it. There are definitely some kids who would benefit from practicing it.
When I meditate, it is usually the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do at night. I told the children who joined me this before we began. They sat on thin, purple yoga mats, staring up at me.
"What do you know about meditation?" I asked.
A little girl raised her hand. "You have to have your eyes closed," she said.
"That's right," I replied. "Something else?"
A different girl raised her hand. "You have to sit very still with your legs criss-cross-applesauce."
I laughed and nodded. "That's right. It's important to sit still while you're trying to meditate. Anything else you can think of?"
A boy raised his hand and said, "You have to say 'ommmmmm' for a really long time."
Again I laughed. "You don't always have to say 'om' when you meditate," I said. "Meditation is mostly about clearing your mind so you can focus on one thing. Sometimes you might notice your mind starting to wander to other thoughts, but as soon as you notice it, you move your attention back to that one thing. Does that make sense?"
The children nod.
(photo from: http://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/events/family-yoga-single-class/)
"What do we think about?" another boy asked.
"You can focus on whatever you want as long as it's something that makes you feel happy and peaceful," I answered. "So let's try it out. Everyone sit in the center of your mat."
All the children adjusted themselves and sit criss-cross-applesauce. I asked them to rest their hands lightly on their knees or their ankles. Then I told them to take a deep breath and hold it.
"Hold it, hold it... And when I say 'exhale,' let go of your breath slowly, and close your eyes as you do it. Okay. Exhale."
The children let their breath out slowly, some faster than others. Their eyes closed. Some snuck a few peeks around the room, but I raised my eyebrows at them. They closed them again.
"Okay, now I want you to focus on only my voice. Pay close attention to what I'm saying," I instructed them. "Take another deep breath. Inhale slowly. Notice how the air fills up your lungs. Hold it for a few seconds, and then let go of it. Do it slowly. Repeat these deep breaths three more times on your own. Make sure you're sitting straight up. Feel your body start to relax every time you exhale."
I gave them about thirty seconds for this.
As they all took their last deep breaths, I grabbed their attention once again.
"All right. This is going to be the hard part. I want you all to focus your attention on your bodies. Try not to let your mind wander."
They all shifted around a little, sitting up straight again.
"Let's start from the top of your head. Notice how your hair feels on your head. Is it heavy? Light? How long is it? Now focus on your ears. They should hear my voice and nothing else. And now, move to your shoulders..."
Slowly like this, I brought their attention all the way down to their toes. This is an excellent way to bring them into the present moment and realize that, yes, they are indeed here and alive. I told them to do it themselves, but starting with their toes and working their way back up to their heads. At this point, they were all calm and not peeking around or causing distractions.
After about three minutes, I started speaking to them again.
"Good. Now you may think about whatever you want. You can think about going on vacation, getting a new pet, having your dream job, whatever it is that makes you the happiest. Focus on it. Focus on the happiness it brings you."
I gave them about three more minutes to do this before saying, "You may open your eyes slowly."
The children opened their eyes, looking a little sleepy. I asked them to arrange their mats into a half-circle so we can talk about their meditation.
"Did you like it?" I asked.
Most nodded their heads. Some raised their hands, and I called on a girl.
"It was hard to not think about things," she said. A few kids nodded their heads again. "My brain wanted to think about a lot of things, but I stopped it. I got the hang of it."
"That's really good," I answered. "It is very hard to keep your mind from thinking about other things. Even grownups find it hard sometimes. You guys did a great job. I'm really impressed."
Before we finished up, I asked them to try this a few times over the course of the week. Next week, we'll reconvene and see if they're finding it a little easier to focus. That's the goal!
