CHILDREN CAN MEDITATE TOO

Many of you may have heard of meditation and have many preconceived notions about it. Some believe it is an opportunity to seek a greater purpose, others may feel that it is a fringe subject, but regardless most believe that meditation is a tool or technique that is made for adults. This however is not the case. Children too can learn to meditate and experience its many benefits early on.

WHAT IS MEDITATION

Meditation has many different definitions. Oxford Languages defines Meditation as “think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.”

If you ask the great Dandapani, a former Buddhist monk with years of experience in a Buddhist monastery, he defines meditation as “Meditation also serves to help you become the master of your mind, body, and emotions. Your mind, body, and emotions are your tools. You are meant to be in charge of them. If you are not they will be in charge of you as is clearly visible in many people these days. Meditation teaches you how to be in control of your mind, body, and emotions by helping you to realize that you are a soul in possession of these tools.”

Looking to a scientist we have Dr. Joe Dispenza who defines meditation as “becoming familiar with”. Regardless of which definition you look at, they all have one common underlying theme. And that is to become aware or pay attention to your thoughts.

HOW DOES THIS HELP CHILDREN

As we have often covered in this blog, teaching children to be aware of or mindful of their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions allows them to take control of how they are ultimately feeling. Being able to recognize specific thoughts and feelings, and being able to discriminate whether those thoughts and feelings are ones your child would like to continue to have or not have, is the first step in them learning how to feel good from within.

Therefore, if developing the skill to become aware of their thoughts allows children to control how they feel, then it would follow that meditation would be a great tool to help develop this skill. Meditation can be utilized from a young age to help children learn to take a step back and focus their attention on the present moment. Specifically how they are feeling and what they are thinking about in the present moment. In order to shift ones thoughts or feelings, one has to be able to recognize what thoughts and feelings they are having. This is why meditation can have a tremendous impact from an early age.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

As we have stated meditation has multiple benefits for children. The first major benefit of meditation, is it teaches children how to concentrate or focus. Many of us growing up have been told to focus, however we have never actually been taught how to focus. Just as importantly we have never practiced focusing or concentrating. We simply were told to do it and were expected to do it. Medication, however, allows children to learn how to concentrate or focus on one thing at a time.

Another benefit of meditation, is it allows the children to develop a greater connection with their mind and body. By meditating and focusing on their present thoughts or their present emotions, they can become more in tune with their bodies. For example, they can become aware that specific thoughts are generating specific feelings. Those feelings then maybe creating additional feelings in their body or physiological responses. As a result, they can become more cognizant of which thoughts and feelings caused which physical responses in their body.

Another wonderful benefit for children is that meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety. While it may not be common knowledge to all, but it is still true nonetheless. Children also experience stress and anxiety. By being able to slow their breath down and focus their thoughts on one thing, their bodies physiologically feel a sense of calm and comfort. By disconnecting from all external stimuli, it enables their bodies to relax and calm down. Ultimately, they can be on the path to feeling good again!

Knowing that meditation has great benefits for children at a young age, you should introduce it to your child sooner than later. It is never too early to feel good!

Founder/CEO
OH-KS

Rachna Patel is the founder of OH-KS Corporation, a company that creates one-of-a-kind programs and materials, to help children ultimately become happy, healthy, confident, have a strong growth mindset, and so much more. To learn more about the latest products from OH-KS, you can visit their website at www.OH-KS.com