An easy way to teach kids yoga nidra (and improve sleep)
Yoga Nidra is my new favourite practice.
It’s so easy yet so relaxing and it helps me stay in touch with my body which (if I neglect it) becomes sore/achey due to the time I spend at the computer or slouched on the sofa watching Netflix!
It’s such a simple practice of going through different parts of the body and as it’s a practice that is all about lying down (compared to most meditation practices which are about sitting up), it is a wonderful aid to a restful night’s sleep!
Welcome and hope you find this blog useful in this strange and challenging time.
I don’t know about you, but life feels like we’ve been put on a roller coaster (without our permission) and we are on for a ride of ups and downs.
I’ve been practising meditation for over 30 years and even I feel tested to my limit by world events. However I have strong resillience, mentally and emotionally, because of my meditation practice. But I realise that many people (and children) are reeling from everything and don’t have lifeskills to help them through.
So our team of Connected Kids Tutors, Trainers and Students have decided to offer some meditation practices and mindful tips on this blogpost – to be used by you, your family or both.
These are free for you to use and share.
We know how much having this skill helps us (it’s why we teach people worldwide!) and we just want to share and help everyone have a little bit more peace of mind (and resillience) through this challenging journey.
We hope it helps and please let us know via our Facebook group, or Twitter or Facebook page (or ask us a question). We’ll be adding more on as they come through so remember to visit this page or join our social media to be kept informed.
Namaste
Lorraine E Murray – Founder and the Connected Kids Team
Listen to the meditation recordings (more to come). Watch the recordings and decide (or let your family choose) what feels best for you and your kids.
(Please note the quality of sound will vary as each person used whatever device they had to record from home!)
Tree of Protection Meditation for kids – by Connected Kids founder Lorraine Murray
Golden Spacesuit meditation for kids on the Autism spectrum – by Connected Kids founder Lorraine Murray
Straw breath-painting – breath work (create a rainbow) – by Sue Hurst
Mindful Breath ideas for young kids (under 10) to reduce anxiety – by Lorraine Murray
Sound Meditation to help boost immune system – by Gary Posner
A note from Gary... “Before you listen to the Immune Enhancing Tuning Fork Meditation. Close your eyes and start breathing. Feel each breath you take moving through your whole body. Feel your breath waking up in every cell in your body. ”
We would also suggest asking your kids to notice where they feel the sound in their body as they listen and breathe.
In the UK yesterday there was a mental health awareness day to help us understand and talk about mental health.
As someone who teaches meditation and mindfulness, this is a key part of the work I do. It’s why I set up Connected Kids as I have witnessed, many times, how teaching kids, teens and adults meditation helps improve their mental health.
But mental health isn’t the whole picture. We have emotional and physical health to consider and these are inextricably linked to our mental health. Continue reading →
Why is creativity important to teaching meditation?
Since 2003, we’ve been teaching adults how to help kids and teens practise meditation.
What’s interesting is the way that we adults (initially) approach the idea of teaching kids meditation.
Some of us look for a ‘mindfulness wand’ that we can use (metaphorically speaking) to calm our children.
Some of us want to analyse and dissect meditation; how it works, the benefits, why bother teaching it.
Some of us think that it’s good for kids to learn it because we practise and thus try to teach our kids meditation in the same style/manner of our meditation practice.
The fact that you are even interested in teaching a young person these life skills (in our opinion) is amazing! The intention to offer this to young people is a gift and at Connected Kids, it’s our passion to leave this legacy for future generations.
But often we may attempt to teach children and find that either:
