Mindfulness and the Family Vacation

Nurturing Summer-time Peace

for the whole family

Summer holidays bring precious time with your children, but they can also introduce stress and disrupt routines.

Don’t let these challenges overshadow the joy of the break. Here are practical tips to help you maintain your meditation practice and guide your kids to try out mindfulness during the summer months.

“Here is my 5-year-old son meditating in the pool. Trying to compose himself during a conflict with his 7-year-old sister. We love this photo. He often joins us at 6 am to meditate too. Namaste.” (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Furtney Miller)

Overcoming Resistance

Don’t sacrifice your personal meditation practice amidst the demand to entertain your kids throughout the holidays. Your regular meditation routine will support you in adapting to the changes and support you with increased creativity and reduced reactivity.

Embrace the holidays to nurture your well-being through consistent meditation, avoiding last-minute “first aid meditations” that only offer temporary relief.

If you feel less inclined to meditate during the holidays due to a more relaxed atmosphere without school schedules and homework, remember that meditation is a healthy habit worth nurturing.

Use this time to create space for your practice, as a regular meditation practice will give you long-term benefits and pave the way for a more enjoyable summer!

Avoid forcing meditation on your children. Instead, focus on nurturing your own practice, and they may naturally become curious and join in.

Holiday Mindfulness Practice

Discover mindful solutions to adapt to the changing routine during the holidays:

Transform everyday activities into meditation opportunities. Engage all your senses while showering, eating, walking, or swimming in the sea. Be fully present in each moment and guide your children to do the same. When thoughts arise, gently bring their attention back to the breath and encourage them to notice different sounds, smells, touches, tastes, and sights.
Remember the power of breath. When the holiday bustle and routine adjustments generate stress, we tend to hold our breath or breathe rapidly. Counteract this by paying attention to your breath regularly throughout the day. You don’t need a quiet, dark room for this practice—embrace moments like shopping, conversing, cooking, or even using the bathroom. Each opportunity to observe the breath, especially the journey of the out-breath, activates the body’s relaxation response.

Grounding

Maintaining a sense of grounding is crucial to clear thinking and preventing overwhelm:

Immerse yourself in nature. Simply being surrounded by trees has a therapeutic effect on our well-being. Maximize this benefit by meditating or practicing mindfulness in a forest, engaging in the practice known as Forest Bathing.
Embrace movement and exercise. Any physical activity can become a grounding practice when approached mindfully. Take inspiration from the active meditative qualities of yoga and encourage your kids to join you in activities like running, skipping, cartwheels, or hopping while cultivating awareness of their bodies and the present moment.
Unlock the power of imagination. If you don’t consider yourself particularly creative, let your children guide you. Embark on magical journeys within their imaginations, experiencing their guided meditations. Alternatively, if you’re adept at nurturing creativity, lead them to their favourite places alongside their cherished person or animal, helping them feel safe, happy, excited, or any emotion they wish to explore.

Consider introducing mandalas for meditation and coloring sessions. In our Connected Kids book, we offer guidance on how to engage children in meditative coloring practices using mandalas.

Above all, remember to stay committed to your practice. Your children will observe and mirror your behavior. Even if they don’t immediately embrace meditation, your consistent practice will provide you with grounding and resilience to navigate the school holidays with ease.

Let this summer break be a time of connection, growth, and inner peace for the entire family.

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Photo from Unsplash