How to Teach Babies and Children about Mindfulness.
My daughter, Lucy, practicing Reiki on her baby doll.
How to Teach Babies and Children about Mindfulness.
This article will show you gentle and simple ways to introduce your children to energy work, mindfulness, meditation, yoga or any other healing or energetic modality.
Start teaching them right away, preferably as soon as they are born or as soon as you read this article! The sooner you begin talking about mindfulness, the more it becomes part of their everyday life and the more comfortable you get sharing the information.
Read books or listen to music about the subjects you want to expose your baby or kids to. They are absorbing everything you show them! They will love hearing your voice and listening to you sing. As you sing or read they are receiving all that beautiful information.
Model the behavior- kids model their parents’ behavior, and if you haven’t gotten to that toddler stage, just wait; it’s coming, and they will show and tell you the things you do regularly- the good and the bad! So if you are practicing yoga, breathing or meditation, they will eventually join in too!
Kids thrive on routine. Take a few minutes before bed to breathe together or lay down and stretch for a few minutes together when you get home from work. My daughter now brings us our yoga therapy balls when we lay down to stretch, and she stretches too! Make it part of their everyday life.
Make it fun- we often yell, “yoga break,” anytime our daughter does a downward dog or another posture. We all laugh, and it keeps it light and fun. You could try a meditation like Bee’s Breath; your little one will love imitating the bees!
Practice with them- babies, toddlers, and kids want nothing more than to be with you! Listen to a guided meditation with them or take them to a baby and me yoga class! You are their world; they want to do everything with you!
Integrate mindfulness into everyday activities. This morning my daughter and I paused to look at the sunset together, and we took a few deep breaths. It’s that simple. Slowly weave it into your day.
Relax and go with the flow. Your little one might respond to one thing and not another. That’s okay. Just talking about reiki or bringing awareness to the fact that they have energy is such a beautiful start.
I hope this article helps you bring mindfulness into your family’s life. Have fun with it and keep it simple.