A child who is born into a setting
brimming with spiritual energy will find
the transition out of the womb easier to
support. Most souls do not spend much
time in the physical body for the first
few weeks of life, but they will feel an
attraction to a spiritual household.
It is beneficial for very young babies to
attend meditations and be immersed in
a refined space. This will raise the
vibration of their energy field, and it will
certainly affect their psychological
development positively in the long run.
In later years, they will recognize the
meditative space as one that resonates
very deeply within them.
Most babies remain calm in a
meditative surrounding, and they will
easily fall into a blissful slumber.
Parents should avoid waking them
suddenly from this state. Babies who
cry or are agitated can be distracting in
a group meditation, and if such
behaviours persist, they should be
moved to another room. Common
sense should be used by the parent in
such circumstances.
CHILDREN AND MEDITATION
It is the exceptional child who will
meditate at a very early age. Most
children are too restless to achieve the
state of physical and mental stillness
that is necessary for meditation. They
will fidget, or even have a hard time
keeping their eyes closed. It is important
that they not be pushed into practicing
meditation, and that their parents not
attempt to impose any expectations in
this regard.
I find it exciting when children ask me to
teach them to meditate. It is often sheer
curiosity that motivates them. My
nephew once meditated with me when
he was six years old, and I admired his
determination. I turned to check on his
progress after a few minutes, and
noticed that he had placed his hands
over his eyes. When I asked why, he said
that he couldn't keep his eyes closed, so
he decided to improvise.
Children can easily get into a blissful
space without getting into the formality
of assuming the meditation pose. They
love to chant. Singing is actually a good
way to focus them. Having them shake a
rattler or bean-stick will channel their
restless energy as well. If there is more
than one child in the room, they may
distract each other. It may then be
preferable to get them to play together
in another room if adults are needing a
quiet space.
Children of five or six years will easily
adopt the cross-legged position, which
they imitate from the adults around
them. They may be able to sit quietly for
a few minutes at a time. However, their
nervous system has not yet developed
sufficiently to handle the rising
kundalini, so often the high energy
atmosphere of a meditative
environment will make them restless.
As long as their behavior is not too
disturbing, children should be given
some leeway in this regard. If they
experience a sense of freedom and
belonging, this will make them more
comfortable as they incorporate
meditation into their own lifestyle. If it
becomes a source of frustration they will
get turned off very quickly and they will
not have positive associations with the
meditative experience.
Most children who are exposed to the
meditative atmosphere in their
formative years, will appear radiant,
light, gentle and refined. It is usually after
they reach puberty, and the nervous
system has matured sufficiently, that
they can start to meditate seriously with
other people. By about sixteen years of
Dec. 2018 www.yogicherald.com
47