Why Kids Should Meditate

There are so many reasons why kids should meditate.

Regular meditation has been scientifically proven to be beneficial in keeping us healthy in both mind and in body. Just as adults embrace daily meditation as part of their holistic, wellness regime, encouraging children to meditate also incredibly beneficial?

• Meditation helps children to manage stress, anxiety and pain.

• Meditation helps our kids cope with the fast paced lifestyle of these technologically advanced times.

• Meditation is a simple tool that children can learn, but which has incredible benefits.

To find out more about how meditation can benefit children and how to teach a child to meditate,  I called on the expertise of Bill Patterson , a well respected Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist of Mind Body Solutions and his wife Kati Patterson, a Physical Education, Relaxation and Meditation Teacher.  Together both Kati and Bill have had decades of experience teaching both adults and children to successfully meditate.

Guided Visualization Meditations Benefits Children

Children have a wonderful ability to use their imaginations and using guided, visualization forms of meditation is a great way to help teach your child to meditate.

Children find this style of meditating easy, as they don’t have to worry about remembering how to do anything. They simply have to listen and they are gently guided into a beautiful, relaxing, state.  Often childrens meditation audios take their minds on a journey to visit wonderful, enchanted, magical places, where they are allowed to feel completely safe and happy.

There are many guided visualization meditation audios available for children to listen to and they are especially helpful for children that find it hard to stay calm and focused and also for children who find it hard to fall asleep.

I would recommend setting up a small cd player in your child’s room and make it a part of their  regular bedtime routine after a relaxing warm bath or shower,  to play their favourite meditation CD, when they are tucked up snugly in bed, with the lights down low, or just a night light on.

* EMF SAFETY TIP -do not have the CD player unit plugged in close to your child’s bed, as all electronic gadgets emit EMF radiation and this interrupts with sleep. Once the meditation CD finishes, turn the cd player off also at the wall socket.

The Benefits Of Meditation For Children – an interview with Kati & Bill Patterson

Q:Why should we encourage children to meditate?

A: Children get the same benefits as adults do from meditation. Meditation simplifies mental activity and produces a hypo metabolic state. It reduces stress and anxiety. It is the only proven activity to reduce blood lactate which regulates stress and anxiety. It reduces Cortisol the stress hormone and increases Serotonin and Melatonin the body’s calming hormones and much more;- see The Health Benefits Of Mediation.

Q: From what age can children successfully meditate?

A: Silent meditation is suitable when children are able to focus for a short period of time, around kindergarten and school age. Whereas guided meditation is something a child can participate in as soon as they are aware at a toddler age. Toddler stage recordings may be played when they go to bed at night. [like a bed time story].

Q: What are the proven scientific benefits of children practicing meditation?

A: A child’s body and mind become more relaxed and it has a positive reaction on all of the systems in their body. Meditations releases positive endorphins from endocrine system.

Q: What are the physical and mental benefits children experience through the practice of meditating?

A: Mentally a child who regularly meditates, will be calmer, experience less fear and anxiety. They will be more able get in touch with their creativity and able to get on more harmoniously with those around them.

Q: How can you teach a child to meditate?

A:  One easy way to start, is by helping them relax their body by teaching them to breathe deeply and rhythmically. Another way is by focusing on an object such as a candle flame. Please remember never leave a child unattended with a burning candle even for a minute.

Q: Which is the best form of meditation for children?

A:  One of the best forms of meditation for children to start with, is creative visualization, followed by sitting still and focusing on (as above) a candle or breath.

Q: How do you teach a child that won’t sit still to meditate?

A: The easiest way to start them with a guided meditation CD when they go to bed at night.

Magical Meditations For Children

Kati has also produced a wonderful guided visual meditation CD for children, called Magical Meditations For Children.

Kati gave me her CD to try out on my own young kids and the first time I played it to them, was in the car when my kids were very overloaded, stressed, tired and grumpy after school.  All I can say is WOW, within seconds a quiet calm magically descended over my kids and the rest of the car ride home becomes peaceful and pleasant.  My children now ask to listen to the CD that talks about visiting the enchanted garden, as they really love it.

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