Natural Mindfulness – Cloud meditation for kids

Spring is an ideal time to nourish your family’s mindfulness practice. With the change in seasons, boost of fresh air, and longer hours of daylight as inspiration, you can consciously invite in greater simplicity, love, and compassion, and clear those habits that are no longer serving you.

The different seasons allow us to explore mindfulness with children in different ways. Spring allows our senses to come alive and examine our senses in a way like no other season.

I find the transition of seasons a great time to be more awake, allowing me to reconnect with myself and the world around me. It is a stark reminder of life as constantly changing; as winter draws to a close and with the new beginnings of spring, nature once again shows us its resilience against the harshest of conditions. Nature holds so many lessons for us, to be able to consciously look for these is extremely precious.

 

As we see living things open up again, we too can encourage ourselves to let go of our winter habits of hibernating. While spending time with your children encourages them to notice how beautiful nature is and how it can help anchor you in the present moment and create feelings of gratitude towards the world we live in. Springtime is when the colours of nature are at their sharpest. You don’t have to go out of your way to notice nature. Even the skies becoming brighter can be an observation. When we encourage an awareness of nature and the world around us with our children, they and we are better able to feel present and connected to ourselves.

“encourage your children to listen to these sounds too”

Take time to pause wherever you and your children are, and just listen. Try it for yourself and see what other sounds you notice. It could be the trees swaying, water running or kids laughing. All of this can be enough to boost your feelings of connectivity to the present moment, both in meditation and everyday life. Try to encourage your children to listen to these sounds too.

Observing nature open up around us and immersing ourselves in the delights of spring can help with stress reduction. When we step out of the story in our head and into the present moment, whether through meditation or mindful activities, we cultivate our capacity to put a pause on stressful thoughts. Stopping and pausing to notice how you feel on a daily walk, for example, can improve your feeling of connectivity with yourself and help you better manage any stress you may be carrying.

“Appreciating less is a good virtue to pass onto children”

Each day we take about 20,000 breaths. This automatic bodily response keeps us alive and helps to regulate our emotions. When we bring attention to our breathing, we take control of our emotions and reactions through mindful purpose. While being more present we can pause to find joy in the small things, especially during a season as lovely and inspiring as spring. Appreciating less is a good virtue to pass onto children, who are so often bombarded through the media and their peers about needing more stuff to be happy.

If there are any silver linings during this time, it’s that we are forced to slow down, be still, and observe. Together with your child, you can try this mindfulness meditation that aligns perfectly with spring, a time to notice how our earth revives itself and perhaps in doing so, we revive our spirits a little.

Children have a natural mindfulness, particularly when it comes to nature. Now that spring has begun to peak out from behind the greyness of winter, the cloud meditation taps into this natural curiosity. My spring wish for you is the hope that you will take every opportunity to (mostly) step away from technology and get outdoors, especially as the temperatures warm up.

If you think your child or young person could benefit from some 1-2-1 sessions with me, please get in touch via my social media platforms and we can have a chat.

Love and light,
Coach Lindsay x

HOW TO DO A CLOUD MEDITATION…

Have children sit or lie down with a good view of the clouds.

Begin by having them take five deep mindful breaths. Ask them to stare at the clouds while you ask them these questions to guide the meditation.
● Are the clouds fluffy or thin?
● Are they moving?
● Are they making shapes of things you know?
● Are they all the same colour?
● What does the sky look like behind the clouds?

Give them some silent time to just gaze and mindfully and explore the clouds. Complete the meditation by discussing what they noticed and what emotions were felt.

ColneLife Spring 23