Fall can be a hectic time with going back to school, the holidays coming up, and the change of seasons. As beautiful as fall can be, it can also produce anxiety and dread.
Do I have everything for the start of the week? Is it going to be sweltering or cold today? What events are going on this week? I know winter is on its way but when do I really need to go shopping for jackets/boots/all the mittens my child will lose?
Not only do I start feeling anxious, but I can sense it in my little one as well.
After a rough, rough, rough weekend of temper tantrums, crying, and exhaustion all around, I decided to seek ways to bring my daily meditation and relaxation techniques to my child.
This brought me to the good ol’ Barnes and Noble at the Apache mall. I didn’t even know where to start, then the sweet lady led me to an entire section of calming meditation techniques for children.
I am pretty sure I walked out with 10 books and I was ready to get down to finding some namaste. Here are the books/techniques that I found extremely helpful and geared towards children:
- Breathe Like a Bear-Kira Willey. This book is by far our favorite. It focuses on different breathing techniques for different scenarios. I tried this with our daughter one night after she was told “no” and had a full fledged tantrum. I asked her to read the book with me and try the methods it explained. Not only did it calm her down, but it calmed me down too!
- Goodnight Yoga-Miram Gates. This book is an interactive book! There is a flowing story that includes breathing and stretching exercises. Amazing to decompress from a long day for the whole family.
- Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus and Calm- Whitney Stuart and Mina Braun. Another interactive card series! It is a box set that contains cards in 5 different categories: how to feel grounded, relax, find calm, increase kindness, and improve focus. Again, not just for kids but adults can really gain insight as well!
- Calm app for children or YouTube Meditation: The Calm app is GREAT for adults learning how to meditate but they also have an incredible section for kids meditations. My daughter and I did this while waiting in the car the other day. She was getting nervous, anxious, and upset. I popped on a candle guided meditation and we both worked on our breathing techniques. At the end of the four minutes, relaxation had settled in.
Life gets hectic and crazy. We all lose it from time to time. By giving attention to our inner self and teaching our children these simple techniques, we can give them a life long tool (and work on ourselves too!).
Trust me, the first time my child told me to take a deep breath in during traffic in the cities, I stopped, smiled, and took that big, deep breath.
Namaste, y’all. You got this.
