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SparklingDiamond
Australia
227 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 12:52:02 AM
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So last night, was the first night, my son and I sat together in meditation
he was pretty good at sitting quiet for almost 20minutes, considering he is only 7 years old.
But afterwards, he said, I should have told him to sit straight during meditation! My bad :)
That particular meditation we did is a guided meditation, but more for adults, and is a healing one
How do i introduce him to meditation, as i would like to do this on a regular basis with him???
How would I teach him? Would it be a mantra meditation at this young age or something else???
He is v intuitive, and gets visions of the future, so I am thinking this is the right time to teach him meditation |
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Medea
Netherlands
115 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 01:52:30 AM
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Hi SparklingDiamond,
It is a great gift your child grows up with a parent that shows that sitting quietly twice a day is a normal thing to do. However, 7 years is very young for a child to start meditation practice. In my experience too young; their minds have not developed yet to an extent to make practices like this useful or suitable for them. Yogani wrote in lesson 256 some very useful guidelines for teaching yoga to children. I highly recommend reading that one. Some quotes:
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Easy "I AM" meditation can be practiced upon reaching 12-13. The suggestion is to start out with 10 minutes maximum per twice-daily sitting. If there is an undesirable result, too much purification, then less time, or none, should be used until a year or two later, and then try again.
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Light nadi shodana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) can be used by teenagers before meditation for 5 minutes, or so
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Light asanas can be undertaken, using good common sense, at any age.
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Regarding our youngest children, sharing our own rising inner silence in the form of overflowing loving service is the ideal yoga for them. They will benefit greatly, and be ready for practices when the time comes, according to their own inclinations. Obviously, we cannot dictate what another's inclinations will be -- even our own children's. Everyone has their own journey to make.
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1553 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 03:08:49 AM
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Dear SD,
It is with hesitation and much love that I give my humble opinion on this matter...
I would let the child be. Meditation will come to him if that is his path. And with a radiant being like you, it will surely come...but in his own time.
Sey |
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Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 08:42:55 AM
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Mantra meditation would be too much perhaps, but just sitting in silence next to you while you are digging deeper and deeper would be good meditation for him.
If your sun starts to watch his breath, he may end up breathless very fast which could be nice or perhaps unwanted at his age, so most probably that would be too much too.
Just sitting with you if he likes would be the tipp here. |
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SparklingDiamond
Australia
227 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 09:26:15 AM
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Thank you Medea, Sey and Holy!
I will definitely keep that in mind, and leave it for later, as I do not want to put any pressure or have any untoward effect on my child.
Meditation is something that has been such a life/sanity saver for me, that I guess I wanted to share that, but forgot that his mind/body is possibly not yet fully developed enough
and thank you Medea for sharing Yogani's link!!
Blessings,
Maria |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 11:52:02 AM
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Hi Maria,
About 4 months ago, I introduced my daughters (10 and 8) to meditation. They both are extremely intuitive with very high EQ. For now, they do just 5 min of DM in the morning (with the I Am mantra), followed by 5 min of rest. They seem to be ok with this with no untoward effects (that I watch out for very closely).
However, I taught them a visualization exercise that they both love and "want" to practice without much prompting. Not sure where I picked it up from and modified, but generally involves first visualizing an "egg" surrounding the body at arm's width (about an inch thick, starting about a foot above the head and built downwards and extending to a foot below the ground), then "filling it" with bright white light (coming from the heart) and then making the light as bright as possible. I've taught them to then put in a samyama-like intention "may only good things enter this egg". I told them that once formed, all they need to do is simply "make" the light brighter on a daily basis but also when they feel sad or anxious or before tests/performances..
My younger daughter swears by this! Her nightmares and fears are going away and she tells me she is no longer bothered by minor playground politics (even without me telling her this could happen), because "the egg keeps all that away".
Could it be the power of suggestion? Sure.
Love,
kami
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 9:16:38 PM
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My daughter (not quite 3) wanted to learn to meditate a few months back, so I taught her simply to sit still, be quiet, and pay attention to her breath. She can't sit for very long, but she came to it honestly and loves to share those few minutes with her dad in silence.
Love,
Carson  |
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SparklingDiamond
Australia
227 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 9:37:03 PM
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Oh Kami! Thank you for sharing!
I am going to share that with my son. He is about to turn 8 and asked me a coupla mnths ago, to show him how to meditate.
Carson,
How awesome that your daughter can sit still at that age!! |
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CarsonZi
Canada
3189 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 9:51:10 PM
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Hi Sparking Diamond,
Yes, I agree... a two year old that can (and likes to!) sit still is pretty rare these days.  That said, we don't use "time outs" as many parents do when a child behaves in ways they don't like, so sitting quietly is not associated with being punished. In fact, whenever she gets upset, that is what she does... goes and sits quietly by herself until she is calm, and then comes and asks for a hug and all is well again. I think that teaching kids that sitting still "sucks" (by using things like time-outs as a punishment) we make it a lot harder for them to want to learn to meditate. Just my opinion.
Love!
Carson |
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SparklingDiamond
Australia
227 Posts |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 10:03:22 PM
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Ah the joys of parenting!! :)
Hi Carson
My son Ethan as a toddler was the cutest ball of energy!! His energy was sooo high, teachers didnt know how to deal with him. It was challenging for the teachers and for me !! I wish I coulda tapped into half of his energy!!
I had a feeling, when he was 4 years old, that the school wanted to label him with one of those common childhood disorders, (to make it easier for them) but there were other aspects of his behaviour that didn't quite fit into that.
As he is about to turn 8 , within the last year or so, his energy and disposition have calmed down. I also think he didnt know how to handle his amazing, high energy, ENERGY! It would get almost out of his control, now that rarely ever happens.
His teacher, last year described him as a 'round peg trying to fit into a square hole'. She has no idea how happy she made me, that was the greatest compliment she coulda paid my son!!! I don/t want na ordinary son!! :) I wanted an amazing,unique son and that is what i got! :)
Timeouts that i used, was sitting in his room, and having quiet time, and yet him sitting with me for meditation a coupla nights ago, he didnt dislike sitting quietly. I was amazed at how long he sat quietly for, not disturbing me at all.
He is my only child and a Godsend to me! :) |
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Medea
Netherlands
115 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2013 : 02:18:21 AM
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| Ah! It's a big difference if the child asks for it themselves, that wasn't clear to me when I wrote my first reply. In that case it would be a bit of an arrogant stance to say 'no, you're not old enough for that' If he wants to learn meditation, it's important you meet him on his level. For example, first trying to sit straight and still for a time that feels right for him. Maybe then learning to watch the breath and trying not to get distracted etc. Or maybe something else suits him better. Since nobody probably knows him better than you, I'm sure you can help him with what he wants and needs. Enjoy! |
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SparklingDiamond
Australia
227 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2013 : 04:47:01 AM
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Thanks Medea!
He's an old soul in a young body. |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2013 : 08:37:52 AM
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Maria,
Your son sounds delightful.
Time-outs are not our cup of tea with our children, either. We have had to be creative in punishment - a couple months ago, I got a note from my 8-year old's teacher that she was an onlooker to her friend at school teasing another girl. My daughter is painfully shy, and used to have a hard time taking the first step in making friendships. As a result she hung around this one friend, afraid to speak up lest she lose this friend too.. We asked her what she thought about being a mute witness to this kid being teased - I said to her, "this kid's mommy loves her no less than how I love you.. Like you, she is precious to many. Think about your little cousin - what would you do if this him?" It suddenly clicked for her that this kid is no less special than the cousins she adores and she was absolutely distraught that she did not stop her friend from saying mean things..
As punishment, she was required to make a new friend everyday for the next month, invite this other kid to play (with her new friend) and give her first dibs to pick the activity. We called it "spreading the light". I wrote a note to the teacher with this plan. She loved it so much that she forwarded it to the principal. This teacher has now decided to adopt this method with her own children and in her classes (who knew!).. My daughter is now very close friends with this girl, has made a ton of new friends and has turned into a kind yet confident child. Most importantly, she has learned the valuable lesson that it is not ok to stand by and watch injustice.
Parenting is tough. But really the "hands on" laboratory for spirituality.
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Medea
Netherlands
115 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2013 : 11:33:32 AM
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| Wow, what a beautiful solution Kami! I think some adults could use this type of 'punishment' as well |
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SparklingDiamond
Australia
227 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2013 : 04:09:37 AM
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Kami
On our very first walk without our dog yesterday, I told my son about the white light technique that you shared. He and I are both going to be practising it !
thanks for sharing!
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2013 : 11:36:42 AM
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Maria: would love an update at some point on how it's going. Also, if you or your son find any modifications helpful..
Medea: thank you! It isn't like every solution we come up with turns out like this, of course.. This just happened to work..
Love,
kami |
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mikkiji
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2013 : 11:49:56 AM
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When I was made a teacher of meditation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi 37 years ago, he did give us special instructions and a special mantra for children as young as 5 years old. According to his interpretation of Vedic texts, a child under the age of 10 should not sit with eyes closed using a mantra. He gave us what he called a "walking mantra", what we introduced to the child as their "walking word of wisdom", which they might mentally repeat for 5 minutes a couple of times a day when engaged in some routine activity--getting dressed every morning or putting away their toys, for example. We were never to make any sort of big deal over if or when they did it, however, and it was meant to be utilized only until age 10 as preparation for receiving a sitting mantra. Depending upon the child's maturity and readiness, a sitting mantra (also specific for ages 10-12) was given at age 10 to 12, and the amount of time they should sit was always equal to their age--10 minutes for a 10 year old, etc., and adding one minute on their birthday every year until they reached 20--years and minutes. The mantra used for children 5-10 is "ing", pronounced as the first syllable in the word, "England". Then mantra for 10-12 is, "im", pronounced like the word "Him", without the "H". I have had various levels of results with this, but mostly good. My own daughter used her walking mantra for years, preferring it to a sitting technique. My son was not interested in using the child's technique, but asked for an adult sitting technique when he was about 16. Just my experiences, here, your mileage may vary.
Michael |
Edited by - mikkiji on Apr 06 2013 11:52:06 AM |
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kami
USA
920 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2013 : 3:04:27 PM
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Hi Michael,
Thanks SO much!!
Have heard the "words of wisdom" TM technique but could not get hold of the actual mantra/word. This is helpful.
Thanks again,
kami |
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Godslave
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2013 : 6:47:36 PM
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| This is great, very encouraging overall. My oldest is 3 so still too young I think :) |
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Teaching a child to meditate - Advice Please
