3 Ways to Settle the Mind and Find Calm [Videos]

Imagine a time when children could be comfortable with themselves–lost in daydreaming, watching the clouds float by, and playing in a world of make-believe?

I’ve been having dreams of this happening, hopefully this summer. It’s been an incredibly busy, frenetic three months, and I’m hoping for some more space and downtime soon.

This reminds me of yoga sutra 1.2, “Yoga Citta Vrtti Nirodhahah,” which translates as:

“Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence.”

One of the ways for us to find this silence is through meditation. Some of the benefits of meditation for children are:

Increasing memory, focus, and attention
Encouraging mindfulness and the ability to find the present moment
Inviting long, deep breaths that calm the nervous system
Providing time and space to calm the mind and body
Reducing stress and anxiety
Increasing emotional intelligence

And lastly… developing creativity and imagination so that, hopefully, children are inspired to daydream, watch the clouds drift by, and play make-believe.

The other day, I was listening to an interview with Dr. William Stixrud, who is a clinical neuropsychological and the author of The Self-Driven Child, about the benefits of meditation on treating the unprecedented levels of stress, anxiety, and depression as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. Stixrud talks about how meditation helps children because their minds become more settled and they can think more clearly. He goes on to talk about how a grownup’s meditation practice has an incredible influence on our children as we become more self-regulated and calm ourselves. Calm is contagious, and creating a calm home or classroom fosters a calm child.

Whether you’ve been practicing meditation for years or whether it’s your first time, I thought it might be helpful to share three meditation recordings to add to your summer toolkit:

3 Meditations to Settle the Mind and Find Calm

1. Calm Meditation

This calm meditation is a kid-friendly body scan that is similar to a traditional yoga nidra. We start at the toes and work our way up the body, relaxing each part of the body.

Calming Meditation for Kids

2. Loving-Kindness Meditation

This loving-kindness meditation is a kid-friendly version of a “metta” meditation, a common practice for adults. We send loving-kindness to ourselves, someone we are having a difficult time with, to the community around us, and to the whole world.

Loving-Kindness Meditation for Kids

3. Gratitude Meditation

This is simple gratitude meditation sending gratitude to ourselves, our family and friends, the environment and community around us, and out to the whole world. May we all be happy and free.

Gratitude Meditation for Kids

It’s hard to believe, but someday soon, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely be behind us, and I truly hope that we can each say that we were able to enjoy the benefits of slowing down and finding some joy in the silence. Hopefully, a meditation practice can offer a way to tap into our inner calm.

Check Out Our Summer Yoga in 10 Minutes a Day – Standard

Help your children stay active and have fun this summer with our brand-new digital Summer Yoga in 10 Minutes a Day Packs.

You will get 8 weeks of ideas, plus all the resources you need to spark your imagination and get your kids moving, grooving, and having a blast!

You will receive specific activities for each day of the week, themed under:

Mindful Mondays: to get grounded for the week ahead through breathing and meditation techniques that teach kids how to be in the present moment
Storytime Tuesdays: to joyfully integrate literacy and movement through storytime read-alongs
Wind-Down Wednesdays: to practice calming techniques that promote self-regulation and focus through age-appropriate mindfulness activities
Theme Thursdays: to move, stretch, and challenge young bodies by practicing yoga poses based on fun and engaging themes
Fun Fridays: to have fun and connect with one other through yoga games and partner yoga

Use these 10-minute activities as a springboard. Feel free to add other age-appropriate theme-related yoga poses, songs, breathing techniques, relaxation stories, meditations, art projects, and field trips.

Download Your Summer Yoga in 10 Minutes a Day workbook here.

summer yoga in 10 minutes | Kids Yoga Stories — Summer Yoga in 10 Minutes a Day

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3 Ways to Settle the Mind and Find Calm [Videos] | Kids Yoga Stories — Meditation Videos for Kids

Check Out Simple Meditations for Kids

Are you looking for fun and easy meditations to read to your children?

Do you want audio options to play to your children as well? We have you covered!

This meditation pack includes:

Simple Meditations for Kids. This book includes ten guided meditations and coloring pages for each meditation to provide to your children.
Ten audio files of each meditation read by the author.

This book is for primary school teachers, kids yoga teachers, parents, caregivers, health practitioners, and recreation staff looking for fun, simple ways to add guided meditations to their curriculum, classes, or home life.

Each meditation takes the listener on a journey to evoke a positive emotion. These simple meditations are designed for children four to eight, but could also be used with younger or older children, even adults.

Download your Simple Meditations for Kids here pack today!

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