Today's world is full of stresses even the children are facing this conflicting situation.To deal with the daily stresses spirituality provides a mental shield.
SPIRITUALITY IN YOUNG CHILDREN
Childhood is the origin of all illness that a person faces through all his life and the disease is the direct derivate of the lack of a peaceful mind. Everything in this universe strives to acquire order and if that order is not accomplished it leads to chaos. And this chaos within oneself leads to various forms of diseases. If this chaos is dealt with, in its earliest origins with the help of spirituality, we could keep diseases at bay. Spiritual practices, undertaken at an early age, have a profound and long lasting effect. Human beings have tremendous potential provided they are taught to train themselves on all levels—physical, mental, and spiritual. Children need to be taught how to cultivate divine virtues within themselves; they need to be taught how to look within, and how to find within in order to attain freedom. Spirituality doesn’t mean the religious conviction in superficial terms, where a child sits before the picture of God & has countless conflicts filling his mind. Spirituality means to attain peace of mind, discovery of ourselves and imbibing the highest level of virtues in oneself. Spirituality provides a mental shield during the course of life and strengthens us mentally.
The objectives observed in practicing meditation in children are:
Discipline in mind
Discipline in physical behaviour
Discipline in speech
Increased awareness in action
Contended living
Types of Meditations for Children:
· Take the class out to an open air or a quiet place. Let them sit quietly and listen to the sounds in the environment. This helps to develop awareness towards the surroundings.
· Making children sit quietly and to repeat in mind "I am a peaceful soul." Watching a tree with a silent mind.
· Sitting quietly and concentrating on breathing in and out.
· Looking at a flower and concentrating the mind on it.
· Imagining a beautiful natural scene.
· Imagining a trip in a strange land or garden.
· Sitting quietly and experiencing the feeling of a noble human quality, such as kindness, and joy. Apart from experiencing inner calm and beauty of imagination, meditation opens the door to understanding one's own thought process. It is this self-knowledge that brings emotional maturity in us. As educators we have to find effective methods of helping children to understand themselves better
Stressed out and negligent parents, high expectations in academic or other performances, abused or deprived childhood, growing up tensions and demand for familial responsibility are the main causes of childhood and teen stress
Meditation gives even very young children power over their thinking and their emotions, not by a repressive self-control, but by enhanced self-understanding and self-acceptance. They also see meditation as a much more general tool, applicable to all children and bringing the following benefits:
Physical relaxation
Improved concentration
Increased tranquility and ability to deal with stress
Improved awareness
Improved creativity
Improved memory
We need not force children to believe that there is a God. However, we should provide them with the opportunity to unfold their inner potentials, to gain confidence, and to become inspired to search for God according to their own inner tendencies and capacity. For children to learn to cultivate divine virtues within themselves, the knowledge of theories that prove the existence of God is not as important as to learn how to discipline oneself. Through self-discipline God can be experienced directly. Let us teach our children how to become aware of themselves on all levels. With a calm and one-pointed mind, children can obtain a glimpse of true peace and happiness.
