Meditation for the Whole Family

Research studies are showing that meditation does help in the balance of the mind and body of children and adults. And more and more schools are using mindfulness training with children with good results. So meditation can start at an early age. Remember when your first child came into the world, letting out a big cry after nine months in the relatively quiet and cozy place in your tummy. Children are born in the state of meditation. After birth, they are responding to the external and absorbing life and totally dependent for all their needs.

They have no mind to begin with although this comes with time as they learn through their senses, leading to perception and the formation of concepts and ideas. As their brain becomes full of concepts, they start to forget about their natural state of emptiness. We all have experienced the pull of the outside world, so packed with possible experiences.

So at this time it is very important to help children stay connected to their natural self. If you consider the effects of internet, video games on children and a generally hyperactive environment, it can lead to attention deficit disorder in children as one example. Meditation helps children establish the habit of connecting with their inner world and staying connected.

How does this work? Well, often times it means changes in how parents and educators provide opportunities for children to meditate. Parents who practice meditation can more easily guide their children to have a routine that balances their inner senses with the external world. And parents often have the intuition to bring in meditation naturally for themselves and their children by giving quiet time, a time when children can sit and observe themselves naturally.

Children learn about their inner witness which is at the core of meditation. Some of the tools to give to your children are: 1) the breath 2) mantras 3) specific children’s meditations and 4) physical activities, including yoga. And, there are different stages of meditation for children and adults.

One way to be introduced to meditation is to attend a family yoga class and get a feel for it. And family yoga is a great way for the whole family to relax and have fun together in a special way, while learning some ways to meditate. If families want to go deeper with meditation they can sign up for a meditation program to learn the steps of meditation. A meditation practice will take only 10-15 minutes a day when firmly established in the routine of the day, either first thing in the morning or before bedtime or a combo.

Yoga and meditation provided a sound investment for a full, happy, balanced and peaceful life. Invest in your life and your children’s lives! It will be the best decision you have ever made. And as Deepak Chopra says, ‘Don’t hold your light under a bushel. Don’t hide who you are as the world needs your joy, voice, strength, talents and everything that makes you unique.”