Spiritual Awakenings
Kids Take a Time-Out… Through Meditation
up with the discipline. Clearing our head of the million thoughts, memo- ries, tasks, ideas and stresses that flash through our brain by the second is no mean feat. So, given that meditation is a difficult exercise even for adults, you might wonder how it is possible for us to instill it in our kids. The answer is simple: we make it fun and bring it to their level.
“I started teaching it to kindergar- teners as a listening activity. Sometimes I would make it so they would have to listen and be quiet to answer questions after,” explains Judy Imamudeen, a certi- fied teacher and member of The Center for Spiritual Living of Tucson. “There’s a lightness about the kids after they medi- tate. They’re more joyful and you can really see that they have released stress.
by Jon D’Auria
The practice of manifesting stillness through meditation is creating a new generation of tranquil, grounded children.
slew of other handy diversions. It is a wonder that kids can even engage a curious parent for a brief conversation of “How was your day?” Children’s restlessness is growing as technology and society help them to avoid learning funda- mental skills such as focus, patience and calmness. Many children diagnosed with ADD or other medical assess- ments rely on pills and prescriptions to see them through. Luckily, for those parents who prefer their kids unmedi- cated, there is a new wave of hope originating from an ancient practice that may help kids calm down: meditation. Meditation has been on record since 1500 BCE, but introducing it to our western youth in the 21st century is something of a revolution. Meditation may look easy, like little more than sitting still in silence, but believe it or not, even the most patient of adults at first has trouble keeping
K 24 Tucson
ids today have an almost infinite number of ways to keep themselves stimulated and amused: video games, iPods, cell phones, Internet, television and a
You can tell by their posture, demeanor and energy.” Judy is one of many educators who meld the Eastern
and Western traditions by implementing meditation classes for her American students. But the success of these classes is dependent on the teacher’s ability to tailor her practice for the different age groups. Judy explains that “Kids’ atten- tion spans are vastly different, so obviously a five-year-old is not as patient as a twelve-year-old. I usually go by the scale of a minute per age. So, if I have a class of five-year- olds, I’m going to ask them to meditate for five minutes, eight-year-olds for eight minutes. Teenagers might know more about it and might have ideas about what meditation looks like–you sit like this, you act like this – but the small- er kids don’t even know it’s meditation, they just know it’s fun. It’s a break from the normal grind and very popular.” The benefits of meditation, for a person of any age,
are innumerable. The peace, self-awareness, stillness and calm that come with practice can surely enhance anyone’s life for the better. Children, however, are so very imagina- tive and non-judgmental that they respond quickly and easily to the concepts of meditation. Meditation creates a pathway that helps define their emotions and being, while enhancing their patience and focus; both children and parents can immediately observe these benefits. “Obvi- ously, from an emotional maturity point of view, it really helps children to be aware of their emotions. Our emotions
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