This week our theme in ‘Yoga Tales for Early Childhood’ is ……… ‘being kind’.
Be kind is something I have been telling my children ever since they were very little.
It started with ‘be kind with your actions’ ……… then moved to include ‘be kind with your words‘ …….. and now I also ask them to ‘be kind with your thoughts‘.
Rather abstract perhaps but as with anything there is energy behind thoughts and in yoga it is believed that the vibration of the mind is very powerful & what we think about ourselves & others will attract similar energy into our lives. Something I am very aware of but still witness my own thoughts often heading towards the dark side.
Thoughts are so private & so prolific that it is often very hard to catch ourselves out, especially if we have etched certain thought patterns into our subconscious over many years. Yoga has many vehicles to help us remove negative energy out of the mind & amongst these is ‘Bhakti‘; simply translated as love. Bhakti is all about expanding the heart and consciousness, to become one with universal, unconditional loving-kindness. Bhakti begins with the path of ‘kindness’.
You may wish to try this simple Buddhist meditation. Firstly think of those that you love, family, friends, pets. Send them kind thoughts of wellbeing & happiness. Now think of neighbours, work colleagues, & acquaintances, also send them similar thoughts. Next send these thoughts out to people who you don’t know (sometimes it helps if you think of those who may be suffering in some way). Lastly send out these same thoughts to those who you find difficult to be around, others who push your buttons or whom you even dislike. Try to do this without judgement. Simply send these thoughts their way. You may find some resistance around the latter. It will become easier the next time. Make sure you include yourself in this exercise. Send out thoughts of kindness to all aspects of your nature. This will help you develop compassion for yourself & others. Perhaps you may even begin to see that you are not so different from all the other beings who just wish to be happy, be loved & belong.
For the children, perhaps ask them ‘how can we be kind?‘…. ‘who can we be kind to?’ As parents, we are usually the ones trying to impart these lessons. What lessons will our little teachers send our way this time?