Mindfulness for Children

Mindfulness for Children

Plan your Sedona Family Retreat with Sedona Self-Love Retreats for a wholesome and bonding experience. Mindfulness is a technique used to accept the present moment in a calming, non-judgmental and nurturing process. Parents and caregivers can feel inspired to implement breathing practices, chakra mantra meditation and the DIY calm down kit to exercise mindfulness.

1Breathing Practices
Parents, caregivers or teachers can teach their little ones how to breathe with awareness. Breathing is a wonderful exercise to shift mood and create mindfulness for all ages.

• Animal Breaths – Prompt, “Can you howl like a coyote? Can you sniff like a bunny? Can you snore like a bear? Can you growl like a lion? Can you buzz like a bee? Can you hoot like an owl? Can you croak like a frog? Can you bark like a puppy?”
• Birthday Candle Breath – Visualize holding a birthday cupcake in the palm of your hand. Count to 3 and let out a big breath, like blowing out a candle. Repeat 3 times.
• Self-Love Breath – Sitting in an easy pose, place your left hand over your heart. Then, put your right hand on top of your left hand. Close your eyes and breathe slowly. On each inhale, internally say “I love me.” On each exhale, internally say “The universe loves me.” This is a practice for building confidence and fostering a foundation of self-love.

2Chakra Mantras
Bija, or root, mantras are simple sounds that can be chanted for a grounding and blissful effect. These mantras relate to the chakras (energetic wheels) in the body. This is an empowering and lighthearted meditation for ages 8 and up.

• 1st Chakra – Chant “Lam” 3 times. Visualize the color red and say, “I honor the Earth.”
• 2nd Chakra – Chant “Vam” 3 times. Visualize the color orange and say, “I honor my creativity.”
• 3rd Chakra – Chant “Ram” 3 times. Visualize the color yellow and say, “I honor my internal power.”
• 4th Chakra – Chant “Yam” 3 times. Visualize the color green and say, “I honor my love.”
• 5th Chakra – Chant “Ham” 3 times. Visualize the color blue and say, “I honor my voice.”
• 6th Chakra – Chant “Om” 3 times. Visualize the color indigo and say, “I honor my imagination.”
• 7th Chakra – Be silent. Visualize the color violet and say, “I honor my understanding.”

3DIY Calm-Down Kit
A tactile collection of everyday objects to help children learn to cope and navigate through tough feelings. The DIY Calm-Down Kit can teach our little ones how to channel their feelings of sadness, anger, panic, anxiety and frustration and to process those emotions healthfully. This is recommended for children ages 3-9. Include the following in a ready-to-go box or basket:

• Aromatherapy – essential oils; scented lotion or spray.
• Audio Support – noise cancelling headphones; audiobooks; white noise machine.
• Breathing Support – pinwheel; bubbles; yoga cards.
• Fidgets – stress balls; pipe cleaners; bubble wrap; play dough; slime; Rubik’s cube; LEGO’s.
• Mental Rest – blank notebook for journaling, free-writing, poetry, drawing, gratitude lists; puzzles; positive affirmation cards.
• Oral Support – chew necklace (chewerly); lollipop; harmonica.
• Proprioceptive Support – weighted blanket; jumping rope; resistance bands; punching bag; hand weights.
• Visual Support – eye pillow; kaleidoscope; hourglass; DIY sensory glitter bottle.

Author Melissa Osborne leads outdoor Family Yoga sessions in Sedona and Flagstaff. Her independently published book Cosmic Yoga for Children: Vedic Astrology Mantra and Flow is available for purchase on Amazon.com.