Parenting Pointers: Sleepy Time Meditation for Children

A Dream Garden: Sleepy Time Meditation for Children

Children have such wonderful imaginations. At times it almost seems as if they can create entire worlds out of the clouds of their minds. Their ability to dream is why meditation can be such a great gift to both children and their parents. When properly guided, a child can be calmed and lulled to sleep with a simple meditation. The fear and emotions that sometimes make a child difficult can be eased. Most important, a child can learn early on how to manage their lives in a calm and balanced manner; a trait that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Unlike grownups, children are open to trying new ideas and are more willing to let their minds go. Just make it light and fun, rather than serious and heavy. Let them enjoy the benefits of a calmer, more grounded mind, while you enjoy the calm it will bring to your house.

So the next time it is your son or daughter naptime, why not take them on a sleepy time adventure. This is what you should tell them:

Did you know there’s a whole garden world? There is, right inside your head.
You can go there any time you want.
Do you want to see?
First, lie down on your back.
Now, wiggle back and forth and make sure you’re comfortable. Put one hand on your stomach and the other right over your heart, and take a deep breath in, deep into your tummy. Do you feel your stomach grow like a balloon? Let the air out. That’s how we’re going to float to your garden. Just by breathing into your belly nice and slow.
Make your body as limp as possible, like Jell-O. That way it’s easier to float there.
Close your eyes and smile.
When we get to the gate to your secret garden, they will know that you’re friendly and will let you in.
Breathe in and relax. Make sure your eyes are closed, and picture a big green lawn all around you and a beautiful pond. Feel the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair.
In your mind, just feel yourself standing there for a moment. There is a little breeze on the pond, and little waves splashing against the shore in an easy rhythm.
Can you hear the soft sound of the wave?
Just breathe in and out and enjoy the waves.

Enjoy how the sun sparkles on the waves like little diamonds.
As you breathe in, picture the diamonds float back and forth on the waves and hear the soft sounds of them as they splash against the shore.
Just enjoy being relaxed.
Enjoy the sun and the waves.
Enjoy being warm and safe and quiet in your own garden.
Sleeeeep.

About Jeff
Jeff cannon is a certified Meditation Instructor, the author of The Simple Truth: Meditation for the Modern World and the founder of the Simple Truth Project. He has been called an innovator, a man with one foot in the humanities and the other in the sciences, and a man who is bringing meditation to the modern world. Jeff brings a unique ability to refine traditional meditation practices to fit the realities of the 21st Century world we all live in. His work helps clients reduce stress, manage the daily distractions that can sidetrack their lives, and provide the insight they need to transform their lives into the one they want.

Webste: jeff-cannon.com
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