MEDITATION FOR KIDS: THE FOUNDATIONAL LIFE SKILL

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation is the practice of sitting quietly and still and paying attention.

THE LITTLEST BIT GOES THE LONGEST WAY

One of our guiding sayings for kids is, "The littlest bit goes the longest way."  You can apply this to any of our teachings, but we mainly talk about this in relation to meditation.

Years ago, I taught meditation and mindfulness at a learning center in Santa Monica to elementary-school-aged students.  In 2019, over a 14-week semester, we charted our time logged in silent meditation per class.  We started at one to two minutes for the first month and ended up finishing the semester with multiple weeks over 10 minutes!  Silent the whole time.  Including five-year-olds.

Parents frequently tell us they've found their child meditating at home.  One mom reported that her daughter - one of our best Bright Knight students in our decade-long history - suggested that the mom meditate in a time of overwhelm.

Per our first article in this series, "Connecting Is Everything," we have seen students go from emotionally distraught to becoming helpers in conflict resolution for other kids by practicing meditation.

So, if a student thinks they need to sit still for a half hour, that won't work. But 20 seconds of feeling even 2% more at ease?  That's something to build on. 

THE FOUNDATIONAL LIFE SKILL

The benefits of meditation are widely known: less anxiety, fear, and stress; more ability to focus; better sleep; deeper self-awareness, and so forth.  We often think of meditation as something we pick up after life gets tough—a practice in response to life.  But how often do we think of this as a foundational practice from childhood on?  A practice that is part of life, and even where our goals, dreams, thoughts, words, and actions spring forth from the clear and centered calm of a well-balanced, connected, and healthy human?

I posit that meditation is the foundational life skill.

At Ariser, we work with kids on EI—emotional intelligence. EI is fundamentally about being human.  And its value will only rise as AI and technology continue to shape our lives.  Meditation builds EI from the inside out.

CALM = VICTORY

"Staying calm is the best way to focus. If not, your mind is gonna go in 100 different directions." — Bamboo Talon, age 9, Bright Knight

In Bright Knights, one maxim we live by is "Calm = Victory."  A Bright Knights teacher will say, "Calm equals?" and the kids will say in unison, "Victory!" And we mean it.  And we aim to live by it - both in the gameplay of Bright Knights and in everyday life.

In Bright Knights, we apply this when facing a character, at a crossroads in the quest, or when we need to make a decision, including decisions under pressure.  We access calm through meditation - what we call “Sitting Ready” in Bright Knights.  We even have kids sometimes go into meditation as a battle or challenge presents itself.  It might seem counterintuitive to sit still and breathe when one of the Shadow characters is coming toward you, but we've done it numerous times and each time amazing things follow—from smart decision-making to students giving heartfelt, impassioned, and clear soliloquies to the room.

PRACTICING MEDITATION IN BRIGHT KNIGHTS

It is helpful to practice meditation in a group. In Bright Knights classes, we go into the "Game On" portion of our immersive hero's journey class, and we often start with Bright Knights training.  This includes meditation where the teacher will say "Sitting Ready!" and the kids pop down into criss-cross applesauce, go quiet, and focus.  Most days, we only stay for about 10 seconds in meditation, but some days we stay longer.  We breathe and feel the wind on our faces. We take note of the environment and people around us after taking these minutes of silence.  We often feel a shift into more awareness and more calm, even recognizing more beauty. Our teachers take this teachable moment for us all to register the shift.

On other days, we will do a guided meditation (big suggestion for any beginners out there), and we often have the kids lead guided meditation.  A guided meditation is a practice where a teacher or student speaks aloud, gently directing attention to the breath, the body, or an imagined scene, helping the listener stay grounded and present.

STAY THE COURSE

My meditation practice has existed for 27 years.  Some years, I have meditated an hour per day—a stalwart, committed, sincere, and deep practice yielding tremendous benefits.  And some years, like this one, my practice is sporadic, brief, even 30 seconds at a time of breathing, albeit daily.  The point is to integrate it into life, know that it works, stay on the path, and to ever-remember that meditation works and the littlest bit goes the longest way.

WHERE TO START FOR MEDITATION FOR KIDS

What do you tell the parent who says, "My kid can't sit still! They would never meditate"?

My short answers: reach out to us for guidance or sign up for our Mentoring / Life Coaching program for kids.  I'd also suggest starting with very short guided meditations and very short, super simple breathing practices, such as square breathing: breathe in to a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, breathe out to a count of 4, hold for a count of 4. 

Try doing square breathing tonight with your child.  Even just a few times.  See what happens.