The Everything Parent's Guide to Overcoming Childhood Anxiety by Sherianna Boyle

Author:Sherianna Boyle [Boyle, Sherianna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media

Meditation not only reduces fear and anxiety, but teaches you how to intentionally engage and disengage your senses. For example, you might choose to close your eyes and focus on listening to the sounds around you without judgment. Notice which ones are near and which ones are far. This increases your ability to concentrate while decreasing tension. It does this by bringing you into the here and now.

Beginning Meditation

In the beginning, your meditation practice may be a few minutes long. Duration of practice is not as important as frequency. Therefore, it is better to practice a few minutes daily, rather than for thirty minutes once a week. Many people associate meditation with religion or sitting on the floor. Meditation can take on many variations and can be applied while moving or sitting still. You can learn how to meditate while walking, drinking tea, biking, or even while you do the dishes. Anytime you are observing your breath and body through consciousness and loving awareness, meaning your intention is to support yourself in a kind way, you are meditating. Your intention is not to get rid of or stop your thoughts. Your thoughts are part of being human; they will continue, however, as you breath and focus on the sensations in your body, which is delivered through your sense of smell, touch, hearing, sight, temperature, and balance. In time you will find the amount of your thoughts decrease. You will also find that the quality of your thoughts will change from fearful to compassionate-based.

It is recommended that you practice meditating yourself before attempting to teach it to your child. To begin, start by applying it to something you already do. For example, doing the dishes or folding the laundry. As you begin the task notice your eyes. Begin to soften your gaze (as if you had sleepy eyes). You may have to close them for a few seconds and reopen them. Next, relax the corners of your mouth and separate your back teeth. Notice if your lips are pursed, and if so separate them slightly. Relax your jaw and forehead. This may take up to thirty seconds. Then place your two feet on the floor either while sitting or standing. Begin to notice yourself balancing between your two feet. Press them into the floor until you feel securely grounded. As you take these small actions know you are already in the process of meditation. It is when you go about your day with mental awareness that meditation is activated. Now, while folding the laundry you might notice the texture and smell of the clothes and how they feel on the palm of your hand. You may gaze out the window and watch the birds or hear the wind, or you may choose to simply focus on breathing in and out without judgment. Just by noticing you are breathing you are meditating.

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