Meditation for Children is it too Woo Woo for You? And some Science to back up the Benefits.
Most people think of a monk in a monastery somewhere sitting in silence for hours or chanting or repeating the mantra, Om…….. But it is too mystical and takes too long to be useful. And for my kid? Get serious! My kids are too wild and fidgety to sit and clear their minds. While it is true that Emptying meditation is tough for kids, hey it is tough for most westerners including me. However, there are so many other types of meditation that can do so much for a child. It builds resilience, helps them to learn to self-soothe when they are overwhelmed, anxious or afraid. So what types of meditation are good for kids? Guided meditations are great because they give the mind something to occupy itself while the imagination is engaged and promoted.
There are movement meditations like Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong. There is simple breathing meditation where you just focus on your breath — my favorite form of breathing meditation is called Ki breathing where you try to extend the inhales and exhales over time. I am also a fan of Vishen Lakiani's 6-Phase meditation where he walks you through Connection, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Envisioning the Future, Your Perfect Day, and The Blessing the only problem is that it is on the long side for kids at 21 minutes. Which brings up the question, how long should kids meditate? The answer is simple as little as 2 or 3 minutes a day for small children will have a profound effect and as they get older and more experienced they can lengthen the time to 5 or 10 minutes. The benefits are realized within that short period of time. Not only that but they are long lasting if not permanent. Most people tend to lengthen the time they meditate without any effort. They just find that the time passes so quickly they go for increased periods of time.
I said that I would show scientific evidence of the benefits of meditation so here we go. At the generosity of the Amen Clinics, I have a set of SPECT scans of a person’s brain before and after meditation. It was a simple meditation where the person touches their finger to their thumbs in succession as they repeat the sounds: sa, ta, na, ma. They do it out loud three times, in a whisper three times, and then silently three times. That’s it. A SPECT scan looks at blood flow and brain activity. Here is a person who suffered from PTSD which is evident by the diamond pattern shown in the bright spots in the left (before meditation) scan. When you look at the image on the right (after meditation) you see those spots are much smaller indicating a significant decrease in the symptoms are likely. In addition, her cerebellem bottom of the scan has gotten more active which is what is found in normal spect scans allowing for better coordination of motor skills and thought.
Meditation has been a part of most cultures for thousands of years. Prayer is really another form of meditation. There are so many forms that you are sure to find one that your child likes. My son and my two grandsons all meditate together every day. My grandsons are 6 and 9 now and they have been meditating for a couple of years. And yes monks meditate and they start young. I am not a meditation expert but have used it myself in various forms for a couple of decades. If you are having trouble getting your child to start feel free to drop me a line at Jim@JLHendrix.com. I would be happy to help you.
