The Anti-Stressor: Meditation for kids

If you have ever dipped your toe into the meditation pool, you either love it or can’t quite wrap your head around it. For some, it may take some time but one thing is for sure - the benefits are huge. So whether you love it or not, below are some ways it can help you and your kids.

Imagine this…

It’s Monday and you wake up late resulting in your kids missing the bus. As you make a mad dash to the car to drive them to school, you spill coffee on your pretty new top. Like magic, your slight headache has officially turned into a pounding one. Almost at school, your daughter realizes she forgot her backpack on the counter and you have to turn around. After finally getting back on the road, your kids start arguing. If there was such a thing as a physical stress ball, it would be 20 feet tall and very dark! You have had enough and lose it, resulting in a full-blown migraine and two crying kids. Mondays!

We have all had these days and while it is small on the anxiety scale, it is still no fun. When this happens, most people continue to stress and their day turns into a Murphy’s Law snowball. The good news is that while stress is not going anywhere, we can teach our kids (and ourselves) ways to try and reduce it. Meditation is a simple tool that helps us slow down and take a breath (literally). 

Now that you know some benefits, it's time to put this secret weapon into action. Below are two very simple meditations to start. It’s best to begin when everyone is calm. There’s nothing worse than force-feeding some relaxation at the worst possible time.

So for now, let’s start with bedtime.

The most basic meditative practice is breathwork. You can talk your child through the process and then follow along yourself. This can be done in silence or using soft background music.

Have them sit or lie down and get as comfy as possible. With closed eyes, just have them focus their attention on their breath. They can give it a color, make it hot or cold - whatever works. If thoughts creep in, it’s totally normal. Simply instruct them to let any thoughts float away like a cloud. Don’t worry, there is no wrong way to do this.

Then breathe in through the nose deeply for a count of 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold without breath for 4. Do that 3 - 4 times then breathe normally. This is called box breathing.

If they’re older or feeling adventurous, have them imagine each part of the body relaxing part by part. Deep breath in and with the out-breath, imagine their head fully relaxing, then their neck, shoulders, and so on. They’ll notice their body relaxing. So, it is normal if they feel tingly or sleepy. At first, try to do breathwork for 5 minutes and then open their eyes.

In a pinch, if they feel stressed during the day, they can take deep slow breaths and focus on each part of their body relaxing.

If they have a specific problem that’s bothering them, try this.

Sit quietly, close their eyes and breathe. It’s all about the breath.

Have them imagine themselves sitting in their favorite place - somewhere happy and safe (the beach, garden, grandma's lap, the bat cave- anywhere). Ask them to think about their problem and allow themselves to feel the emotions. It’s typically better to feel and release feelings than suppress them.

Imagine a pretty red balloon in front of them. Have them hold the string in their hand and really see the balloon. Then place the problem, the worry, and all its emotions from them into the balloon. Really see it all in there. Then, release the balloon and watch it float up in the air and far away. See it get smaller and smaller until it disappears. Tell them it is gone now. They can even wave if they like.

Then have them breathe slowly in and out a few times and open their eyes. Ask them how they feel?

If your child is too young or they have a hard time concentrating, I highly recommend searching kids guided meditations on YouTube. There are tons of fun ones that may pique their interest.

So the next time you and your kids sleep late and miss the bus, have everyone take a few minutes to stop, breathe and let it go. Namaste.

“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.” - Unknown

Comment below and let us know if you and your kids meditate.