Energy awareness and SEN
In our work over the last 20 years, we have witnessed a change in approach and attitude towards meditation for children and teens. Having energy awareness in meditation to help with SEN (special educational needs), offers an essential element for teaching meditation successfully and is important for all young people including children with Autism, or ADHD.
Energy awareness brings a level of understanding and attunement that helps harness the subtle nature of meditation for children and brings a powerful, healing connection to the mindful experience.
Fostering a deep awareness
Empowering children with tools for self-regulation, focus, and emotional resilience are now viewed as life skills. Through our Connected Kids Method of teaching meditation, we know that it’s more than simply teaching techniques; it’s about fostering a deep awareness and connection to the subtle energetic dynamics at play within and around all of us, including the children we support.
The meditation and medical community are dedicated to establishing the logic and reasoning behind the benefits of meditation for young people. However bringing in awareness of energy offers a transformative connection:
- Sensitivity to Individual Needs: Children with SEN often have heightened sensitivities to their environment through their nervous systems. At Connected Kids we have noted they are energy sensitive too. By cultivating energy awareness, we can attune ourselves to their unique needs, creating a safe and supportive space – even when children cannot articulate their needs. Whether it’s adjusting the pace, tone, or sensory inputs, this awareness allows us to tailor our mindful approach to suit each child, fostering a sense of inclusivity and empowerment.
- Facilitating Emotional Regulation: Emotions are energy in motion, and for children with SEN, navigating this energetic terrain can be particularly challenging. Energy awareness equips us with the ability to recognise and respond to the subtle shifts in a child’s emotional state, guiding them towards greater self-awareness and regulation. Through practices such as grounding techniques, breathwork, and visualisation, we can help children channel their energy in constructive ways, fostering emotional resilience and inner calm.
- Creating Harmonious Group Dynamics: Teaching meditation to children often involves working in group settings, where the collective energy of the space significantly influences the learning experience. By cultivating energy awareness within ourselves and guiding children to do the same, we can create an environment offering more harmony and coherence. Techniques such as mindful listening, empathetic communication, and group balancing exercises help foster a sense of unity and mutual support, enriching the collective journey of self-discovery and growth.
Try these 3 tips to enhance energy awareness
- Personal Practice: Cultivate your own energy awareness through daily mindfulness practices. Tune into the subtle sensations within your body using the senses and step beyond this to observe how your energy responds in different environments (people and places).
- Observation: Observe the energy present in your working space – how it makes you feel. Pay attention to any shifts in energy and how they impact you and the learning environment. Pay attention to the impact of colour, shape, clutter and your own emotional state in this space.
- Intention Setting: Set clear intentions for your session, focusing on creating a harmonious and supportive atmosphere. Infuse your teaching with gratitude. Notice the response in children when apply this to your day.
Why does energy awareness matter for teaching meditation?
Energy awareness is not just a concept; it’s a transformative practice. It holds the power to deepen our connection with self-awareness and the children you support. By nurturing this awareness, you can empower yourself with skills that support you, your children and reduce the impact of compassion fatigue.
Using our Connected Kids Method, we inspire people benefits for both the adult and the young person learning meditation.
“several scholars in the West have attempted to link the chakras with anatomical locations in the physical body. For example, the chakras have been theorized to align with several major nerve plexuses and endocrine glands.”
YogaU Online, January 2020
“These studies, though few in number, suggest that the chakras may be scientifically delineated, similar to acupuncture points and meridians which have unique electrical properties (Ahn et al., 2008) and possible anatomical correlates (Bai et al., 2011). “
Is there scientific evidence for chakras?
Ready to learn how to teach meditation?
If you are interested in knowing more about our work, check out the courses in our online store which offer you a pathway to accredited learning. This certificated program offers you tools for parent or professional.
Working with children affected by trauma?
If you currently work with children experiencing trauma, Connected Kids can help you through our Mindful Trauma-sensitive Energy Awareness course. This combines trauma knowledge from Western science with Eastern philosphies about energy within the context of trauma-experienced children.
