Kids Learning Mindfulness

According to the Wall Street Journal, a growing number of schools are teaching mindfulness to students.

One program lasting 12 weeks was linked to a variety of benefits for children including improvements in:

• ability to pay attention
• control their emotions
• reduce stress
• lessen depression symptoms, and
• decrease aggression

However, enticing young ones to practice and stick to meditation takes flexibility and a sense of humor!

Here are things to keep in mind with respect to practicing meditation with children:

• Do not pressure them to meditate
• They probably won’t be able to sit still for long; preschoolers may not be able to sit still longer than 10 seconds
• Doing the meditation yourself and showing your kids may spark their interest
• A simple practice of gazing into a candle flame may work
• You can try guided meditation CDs
• Timers are not recommended
• You can try having the children lie face-up on the floor
• Some children will not be able to take traditional meditation postures
• You can encourage the kids to imitate a frog at rest!

Source:
Wall Street Journal