As an adult, I struggle with meditation. My mind is always on the go–trying to get my mind to pause and relax is so difficult for me. I have found that teaching children meditation is just as difficult. At the end of every class I teach at my daughter’s school, we work on mediation.
During one class, we practiced mediation for 1 minute and 30 seconds. I thought this would be a realistic time for them to pause and bring themselves into a quiet state. It was not easy at all. The children continually wiggled, some made noises, and some kept their eyes open. Staying did not come natural at all.
As an adult, lying still is pretty easy, but letting my mind be at rest is very difficult. As for children, keeping their bodies still is very difficult. Maybe that is because most adults are physically tired and stressed–their bodies just need to rest. And for children, maybe their minds aren’t so consumed with stress and worry but everything about their lives involves stimulation in some way or another, for example, video games, computer, TV, and electronic toys, to name a few. Children are rarely taught or encouraged to pause and stay still without some type of outside source to bring a stimulus into their awareness.
I have learned how vital meditation is for myself and these children as I teach yoga to them. Children need this, but first they need to be taught it. And that is where we adults can make a huge difference, but we can’t teach what we ourselves don’t know or don’t practice. So maybe the title for this blog should be “Meditation for Adults” instead.
You can find many more kids practices and meditations on Holy Yoga TV and can learn all about teaching to kids in our Kids Holy Yoga training coming up soon!
