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Meditation may seem like a heavy word when we speak of children or young people, or even of ourselves, but it is not. On the contrary, there is a lightness to it. Meditation does not restrict the mind. Meditation allows the mind to wander, to be at peace, to be freee. It allows us to go deep within ourselves, to a quiet place where there is peace and tranquility.

Meditation can help us to look at ourselves and our problems or to what we need in order to be happy.

Children have very receptive minds. From the time they are born, they are taking in information from their parents and other adults, their peers, and the environment. They are like a computer program, but one that grows and improves with age. They work with a simple program at first, then develop increasingly more complex ones as they mature.

Not only have they learned at an early age to feed themselves, crawl, and walk, they have learned complex communication skills by putting words and phrases together, often accompanied with hand actions.

We do not know for sure when they start to put such things together, but I feel they are assessing information from the time they are born.
Most parents talk or sing to their children from the time of birth (some whilst in the womb), and I feel certain that the attention such children get, and the feelings that accompany the talking or singing, helps them in their development.

Whatever we feed into the child makes the adult. If we feed only positive, loving information into our children, we should then have their positive, loving thoughts going out into the universe as they mature and in turn have their own children; then the same process should be repeated with their children. If we do not nurture children with love and kindness, then  they may never know how to love others, let alone themselves or their own children.

Because we want the very best for our children, because we want to prepare them for the world they are to enter, we need to ensure that we care not only for their mind and body, but also for their spirit.

Meditation can help your child to nourish their body, their mind, and their spirit.
Meditation has the means to allow us to go deep within the self. It allows us to constantly feed positive feelings and information to these three essential dimensions of the self.

Meditation and children go beautifully together. Children are receptive. Their minds are clear and clean like large pools of water, and they accept things readily and with care.They do not query things as we do. If children are taught at an early age to meditate, they will find they will be able to  meditate throughout their life, if they wish.

Children relate best to the use of creative visualization in meditation. It enables their minds to be active, to draw pictures or images within, and for their creativity to flow. Children are invariably creative at something, whether it be drawing, colouring, constructing from building blocks, dancing, or putting words together to form stories. We should encourage all forms of creativity in children while they are young, whether they end up being an artist, a dancer, a writer, or go on to be crane drivers, accountants, secretaries, or become a world leader.

By teaching your child to meditate, you are teaching them that security lies within. If you teach them to meditate at an early age, you are preparing them for life and giving them an added advantage. if all children were taught to meditate and then went on to teach their children, the world would be a different place. People would be secure and happy within and unwilling to cause pain to others.

By encourgaing our children to meditate, not only will they be happier within themselves during their growing years, but they will end up being well-adjusted and contented adults.

Earthlight New Meditations For Children author Maureen Garth

Harper Collins Publishers
first published in Australia in 1997

Maureen Garth was an innovative teacher and writer about meditation who lived in Sydney, Australia.
She passed away after completing the manuscript of Earthlight.
In addition to her collections of children's visualisations, Maureen wrote three books of visualization for older readers, The inner garden, InnerSpace, and The power of the Inner Self.

Starbright, Moonbeam, Sunshine and Earthlight New Meditations for Children, beautiful children's books by Mauren Garth. Your gift lives on within our wonderful children. Thank you.