Sunday, February 17, 2013

Mommy, look! I'm Meditating too!

My oldest son, who is 9, has been really curious about my meditation practice lately. It's really awesome and I love that he has so many questions. I try to answer them as best I can. He like to tell his friends that his mom is Buddhist and then try to explain it. I think that's adorable. The other day, he asked me to teach him to meditate. I was taken aback at first because nine seems awfully young for that. Then I remember that this is the boy who found his faith in God through Veggie Tales on Netflix. He is a pretty amazing kid.

 So I started doing some research. It seems that there are many benefits to teaching children simple meditation. It can help then learn to focus better and be kinder. In today's society, where children are eating each other alive, learning a little kindness is a good thing. In the study they gave the child a stone to place on the belly so they could focus on their breathing. It showed that it actually changed the brain. Changing the brain is a huge effing deal. Meditation could really be the revolution we all need.

 After reading about all the benefits I think I am going to teach my son meditation, if I can. I am only a noob myself, but I think, with all the positives, it is really worth a shot. My nine year old has severe adhd and other learning issues, if teaching him something that is so simple, that I love, and that I do daily can really help him, I am all for it. If this does actually help promote kindness and focus in children then perhaps we should be teaching it everywhere.

 I'll start teaching him tomorrow and I'll keep everyone updated on my experiment with it. It really is an exciting prospect not just because of the benefits, but also because I get to spend time doing something I really believe in with my son. As I am not at all a person who has faith in God I can't really share that with him. I've always been of the mind that he should get to choose his own faith. So, when he began showing interest in God, I let him run with it. It sucked that I couldn't really be of more guidance to him in it, but I was happy for him that he found something that helped him be at ease. Now, I get to share with him what keeps me focused and on the right path.

 Here is a great article on it, short and sweet, but gets the point across: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Neuroscientist+touts+benefits+meditation+kids/6158952/story.html


  I'll update you guys in a week or so. Maybe we can start a revolution!


 Angry Girl

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