Meditation: Finding Peace of Mind with Your Children

From the moment the alarm goes off, our days are filled with stressors, and children are not immune to them. Facing the stresses of school, peer pressure, bullying, self-esteem struggles, body changes, and difficulties at home, as just a few examples, many children may find it difficult to cope with the stresses and anxieties of life.

Fortunately, there’s an ancient practice that has the ability to calm those stressors, improve psychological balance, and bring about a sense of calm and peace: Meditation. In fact, the number of children practicing meditation has increased over 800% from 2012-2017, and for good reason!

Studies show that meditation may help symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, and help lead to improved mental health.

Here is one meditation you can practice with your child(ren) in as little as a few minutes:

• Find a quiet place and take a comfortable posture.
• Gently close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths, breathing in slowly and steadily, and exhaling slowly and steadily.
• As you continue to breathe, you’ll notice a natural pause after you inhale, before you begin breathing out, and another pause after you breathe out, before you begin breathing in again.
• This is known as the space between your breaths. Keep your mind focused on these two spaces between your breaths.
• If you have any thoughts, simply deposit them into the space between your breaths and watch them dissolve away. Continue to practice this for any thoughts that come up.
• After several minutes, take 3 deep breaths, breathing in slowly and steadily, and exhaling slowly and steadily.
• You may gently open your eyes.

This practice can be done by people of all ages, and in almost any situation. You can increase the length of time you practice this as you get more comfortable.