Yvonne Doyle
Yoga & Meditation
Meditation for Children
"If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation"
Dalai Lama
Can Children Meditate?
There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to teaching children meditation. I don’t expect all children to come along to a session, sit cross legged and be still for 20 minutes. (Or an adult for that matter!) Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But that way doesn’t work for everyone.
There are many mindful activities and practices that can help children feel centred and connected. The beauty of meditation is that meditation practices can be adapted to suit a child’s needs.
When I teach meditation to children we can use a vast array of meditations that help connect the child to their senses, to their breath, to their body, to their thoughts. Examples of some of the tools we sometimes use are audible tools such as a singing bowl or visual tools such as a hoberman sphere. Guided meditations are helpful to some children. After practicing meditations it's useful to ask the children to reflect on any thoughts or feelings that arose during or after the meditation. They can then express their thoughts and feelings through writing, drawing or verbally.
I encourage parents who would like their children to meditate to begin (if they haven’t already done so) their own meditation practice. This can be valuable in helping a parent be more mindful during challenging situations that may arise on the parenting journey. And also it sets a good example for your child.
Meditation and mindful activities can help children who are suffering from stress, anxiety, anger issues, children who are on the autistic spectrum and ADHD.
Private meditation sessions for children
It has been proven that meditation can help if your child is suffering from anxiety, anger issues, low self esteem or poor concentration.
I offer private one2one and small group meditation sessions with children.
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A private session will be preceded by communication between myself and the parent/guardian to establish an insight into the difficulties the child might be suffering from.
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I then create a plan for our session. This could include creating guided meditations specific to the child's needs.
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It is possible to have specific recordings created for the child so they can practice guided meditations outside of session times, like each night before bed or each morning before they start their day.
If this is something you think your child might benefit from and you'd like to make an enquiry about setting up a session please get in touch
"CALM SCHOOL KIDS" Programme
The aim of this programme is to expose children to ways that can help them become more connected to their bodies, thoughts and emotions. Through yoga, mindfulness and meditation, the children can learn valuable life skills that can support them and help them to be more content in today's modern world and the future.
I teach the "Calm School Kids" programme in Primary Schools and Montessoris. These classes are run during school hours or as an after-school club. Schools can choose ...
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a one day introductory session (I come to the school and teach all the classes over the course of a few hours or a full school day)
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run classes over a number of weeks (We arrange to run classes over a number of weeks, e.g. 4 weeks or 6weeks)
Typically, classes for the Montessori and Junior and Senior Infant age groups would last no longer than 30 minutes. Classes for older age groups can typically run from 40 minutes to 1 hour.
If you're a principle or parent in the Wicklow region and would like more info on how to go about arranging these classes please get in touch to discuss.
