The Mindful Child by Susan K. Greenland

Author:Susan K. Greenland [Greenland, Susan K.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Published: 2010-04-20T14:00:00+00:00

Mindfulness Together: Use Playing, Singing, Dancing, Creating, Having Fun as a Doorway to Experiencing Mind in Its Natural State

It can be difficult for adults and children to shift from the hectic activity of daily life into a mind-set that is favorable to meditation. When working with children and teens, I precede each period of meditation with a game or activity designed to turn kids away from analyzing what’s happening and toward a less conceptual experience. Singing, dancing, blowing bubbles, drumming, playing with balloons, dancing the hokey-pokey, making collages, and just plain having fun are fantastic preludes to meditation. Philosopher and author Alan Watts was known for dancing, singing, and even talking gibberish before he sat down to write and meditate. It is said that on the evening before his death, he was batting inflated balloons around the room and called out, “Oh, if I could only figure out how to do this without my body.”

You can try this at home with inflated balloons or beach balls, or you can blow bubbles together. Turn up the music (sometimes I play the song “Tiny Bubbles”), then silently blow bubbles with liquid soap and wands from the drugstore—kids and adults together. As the music plays, bat your own and one another’s bubbles with your wands. When the music fades away, encourage everyone to sit down wherever they are to rest for a minute or two and feel their present moment experience. For those who like mindfulness of breathing, it’s a perfect time to practice.

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