Mindfulness is simply a way of paying attention. It is the mental faculty of purposefully bringing awareness to one’s experience. Mindfulness can be applied to sensory experience, thoughts, and emotions by using sustained attention and noticing our experience without reacting.
Mindfulness creates SPACE, changing impulsive reactions to thoughtful responses.
Kids are curious & inquisitive by nature. They desperately want to learn things, tend to live in the moment, & can be extremely attentive. But like adults, kids are often too busy. They are tired, easily distracted, and restless. Many do too much & have too little time to just “be.”
Mindfulness helps to grow this space, creating new, wiser responses that improve attention, learning, emotional regulation, empathy, and conflict resolution.
What we say and do, as parents and as people, matters more than we know. And in moments of stress and busyness, skillful words and actions may be harder to come by than you think. The good news is that much of what we struggle with at any given time is stuff we can learn to work with. Mindfulness is the foundation for learning to work with life as it is.
In addition to basic teachings and practices, learning mindfulness will help to reduce struggle and increase resilience in your heart, mind and home.
*Feel free to practice the Lovingkindness Meditation with the attached version as follows…*
Loving Kindness Meditation for Children
Close your eyes and relax. Pay attention to your body, notice the feeling of your seat on the chair or floor.
Take this time to give yourself a HUG,
sending LOVE & KINDNESS to yourself
REALLY LOVE yourself.
WANT yourself to be Happy.
IMAGINE hugging your favorite Lovey.
NOW Hug YOU the same way.
Think:
I love myself with all my BIG Heart
May I be Free to be ME
May I be Free from pain & sadness
May I be free from hard times
May I be healthy and strong
May I be Filled with Love & Kindness
May I be HAPPY
May I be Really HAPPY
May I be at PEACE.
I SHARE all this LOVE & KINDNESS with everyone.
I send LOVE to Mom & Dad.
May Mom & Dad be free from hard times.
May they be free from Pain & Sadness.
May they be Healthy & Strong
May they be Filled with Love & Kindness
May they be completely Happy
May they be at Peace
I send love & kindness to my whole family
May they be free from Pain & Sadness.
May they be Healthy & Strong
May they be Filled with Love & Kindness
May they be well & Happy
May they be at Peace
I send Love & Kindness to my teachers & Friends, all the kids at school
May they be free from Pain & Sadness.
May they be Healthy & Strong
May they be Filled with Love & Kindness
May they be well & Happy
May they be at Peace
I send Love now to all the people
I don’t know, everywhere
May everyone live in happiness, free from pain,
May they be REALLY Happy
May they be at Peace.
May all Beings in the universe be free from pain and sadness
Above and below, near and far, high and low
All types of beings. Humans and Animals
Seen and not seen
All the animals and birds and fishes
All beings and creatures, with no exceptions
May they all be Happy
May they be FREE
I OPEN my HEART and take in Love & Kindness
Of every being and creature in return.
I Let that LOVE into my HEART
And I share this Loving Kindness with EVERYONE.
May all beings be well & Happy
May all beings be well & Happy
May there be PEACE
May there be PEACE
Following the meditation, each child gets a Kiss and an “I LOVE YOU.”
Rachel Morici-Leirer 