MEDITATION
Children and Meditation
It is the exceptional child who will
meditate at a very early age. Most
children are too restless to achieve the
state of physical and mental stillness
that is necessary for meditation. They
will fidget, or even have a hard time
keeping their eyes closed. It is
important that they not be pushed into
practicing meditation, and that their
parents not attempt to impose any
expectations in this regard.
Even before a
baby is born
meditation
can play an
important
role.
70 www.yogicherald.com Apr./May 2019
It is beneficial for very young babies to
attend meditations and be immersed in
a refined space. This will raise the
vibration of their energy field, and it will
certainly affect their psychological
development positively in the long run.
In later years, they will recognize the
meditative space as one that resonates
very deeply within them.
Most babies remain calm in a meditative
surrounding, and they will easily fall into
a blissful slumber. Parents should avoid
waking them suddenly from this state.
Babies who cry or are agitated can be
distracting in a group meditation, and if
such behaviours persist, they should be
moved to another room. Common sense
should be used by the parent in such
circumstances.
I find it exciting when children ask me to
teach them to meditate. It is often sheer
curiosity that motivates them. My
nephew once meditated with me when
he was six years old, and I admired his
determination. I turned to check on his
progress after a few minutes, and
noticed that he had placed his hands
over his eyes. When I asked why, he said
that he couldn't keep his eyes closed, so
he decided to improvise.
Children can easily get into a blissful
space without getting into the formality
of assuming the meditation pose. They
love to chant. Singing is actually a good
way to focus them. Having them shake
a rattler or bean-stick will channel their
restless energy as well. If there is more
than one child in the room, they may
distract each other. It may then be
preferable to get them to play together
in another room if adults are needing a
quiet space.