Learn heart meditation children. Even kids as young as 4 or 5 can be taught simple practices which will have lasting effects on their emotional development.
A simple way to begin is to have a time when parents and children get together for a set period of time each day and sit quietly. Set up a chair for everyone and maybe a small table to sit around. It can have a candle or light or anything that might be important to the family. This becomes a meditation area.
Have everyone put their hands over their hearts and pay attention to their heartbeat for a minute or two. Even if they don’t feel the heartbeat they can think about their hearts.
Then maybe spend a little time focusing on the breath, noticing the inhales and exhales.
Centering Prayer for Children
You can practice placing a word or phrase on the heart or breath. This is called Centering Prayer or Prayer of the Heart in the Christian tradition. It’s called Fikr in the Sufi tradition.
Tell the child you are going on a journey to the deepest part of their heart. The heart is a holy place where God is found in each of us.
Then pick a secret, sacred word that the child gets to use. Pick any word that is meaningful such as faith, love, God, hope, etc. Tell the child to keep this work in their heart and mind.
Now learn meditation children by repeating your sacred word, like a whisper in the heart, that is only heard by God. You can say to the child that you are going to pray, or rest within. Modify this depending on any religious preference you may have.
Meditation Children Can Do
- Sit up straight in a chair, eyes closed, door closed, feet on floor.
- Lips sealed, silently say your sedcret word in your heart.
- Rest within.
- Sit and wait
- God or Spirit is inside you, in the quiet. Rest within.
- Say the secret, sacred word silently to yourself in your heart.
- Let other thoughts float out of your head.
- 5 or 6 minutes of silence. A journey to the center of you.
- Open your eyes and have each child say a prayer of gratitude.
Heart Rhythm Meditation for Children
- Here’s how I teach Heart Rhythm Meditation to a child. You can copy my directions and repeat them to your own children.
- Sit in a comfortable place. Close your eyes if only you want to
- Notice the sound of your breath.
- Put your hand on your heart. This drum is your instrument.
- Notice how your heartbeats feel in the palm of your hand.
- Begin the breath in and count your heartbeats. When your lungs are full begin to exhale.
- Count the number of heartbeats as you breathe out. Try to match your out breath counts with your in breath.
- Repeat this process 5 times.I recommend doing it with them the first time. Once they get the hang of they can practice breathing out things they are struggling with (such as emotions, frustrations, fears, etc.) and breathing in greatness, knowingness, peace, etc.)
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HeartMath Institute – Connecting Hearts and Minds
Even young children can learn breathing skills
