Meditation is many things for many people… but the purpose of meditation is like the purpose of life.
What is the purpose of life?
Why do we do everything that we do?
Why did you start this little yoga course with us?
We want to be happy… That’s why we do everything that we do.
If anyone would have told you that by coming here today you will suffer, you wouldn’t have come, right?
Every step, every action, every word, every breath is toward happiness. Sometimes we are willing to suffer on the way to some final goal… But that goal will always be something we think will make us happy.
Anyone here want to suffer? You can raise your hand and I can help you with that… No, we all want to be happy.
Find out in this video how meditation works…
Mindfulness Is Everywhere
Yoga and mindfulness don’t have to look like children doing yoga on yoga mats for an hour… The opportunities to centre, ground, lighten and uplift ourselves are everywhere!
Walk around the classroom, or even better outdoors or in nature. Guide the children to stop whenever it feels right to them and look for beauty all around them:
- Looking for something beautiful in front of you silently say “I see beauty in front of me”.
- Looking behind you, recognise something beautiful and silently say “I see beauty behind me”.
- Continue the same with your right side, the left side, above you and below.
Wow! Life is so full of beauty if we just take the time to feel it.
Clear Your Mind With The Clear Blue Sky Meditation
Why do people meditate?
They just want to be happy. That’s why we do everything, right?
Clearing your mind and connecting to your inner peace and quiet is a fantastic way to do that.
Lie down, close your eyes and visualise the inner silence, inner joy and peace, as the clear blue sky.
In this clear blue sky, clouds of thoughts pass by. But whether there are clouds or not, the sky is always there.
Clouds come and clouds go, but the clear blue sky remains unchanged.
In the same way, clouds of thoughts pass through the sky of our mind.
Whether there are thoughts or not, this inner peace and joy is always here.
Thoughts, worries, and emotions come and go, but something always stays.
Something exists inside us that existed before thoughts came, and will continue after they disappear.
So when you look within, don’t look at the clouds, look much deeper; look at the clear blue sky.
While you listen within for the next moment or two, don’t listen to the passing thoughts, listen much more deeply; listen beyond the thoughts, to this inner silence.
Every time you find yourself following the thoughts again, turn your attention back within and dive deeper into silence.
3 Ways To Help Children With Their Attention Span & Focus
Kids are famous for having short attention spans – and they are not the only ones, adults have a short attention span too.
The secret is to switch between fast and slow, poses and games and breathing and relaxation… every time you change the kind of activity their attention span starts from the beginning – vary the class structure a bit to keep things interesting!
Yoga, and especially staying longer in the poses, can also really help children with their attention span, their focus and their ability to study or perform… In this video, you will find a few ways to help them exercise their attention muscle.