Mindfulness

This lunch ritual is loosely based on ōryōki, a Zen monastic eating meditation that places an emphasis on service, generosity, and appreciation. It was developed by Noa Jones and Catherine Fordham for the Middle Way School of the Hudson Valley. Shared mealtime is an opportunity to foster a healthy relationship to food, enjoy each other’s company, and create a harmonious environment at the table. Creating a consistent mealtime practice can help children feel more focussed and be more present with their food.

We want to set children up for success when introducing them to meditation practices so playfulness is on order. The Monster Parade: A Book about Feeling All Your Feelings and Then Watching Them Go by Wendy O'Leary with illustrations by Noémie Gionet Landry (Bala Kids 2022) is a wonderful and playful way to approach the idea that feelings and thoughts are fleeting.

In these two videos of dharma talks given in Thailand, Venerable Ajahn Jayasaro connects the dharma to the practice of education with clarity and precision.

This books takes us on a colorful adventure with Bodhi and her mother to Bangkok, Thailand, where they explore themes of language, culture, routine, ritual, kindness, compassion and bodhicitta. Recommended for children ages 3 – 7.

From the Rubin Museum: An art project aimed at generating self-reflection and mindfulness

From the Rubin Museum: An art project to explore letting go of fear and attachment

The 16 Guidelines for Life aims to empower parents, teachers, educators and carers to explore mindfulness and ethical values with children and teenagers.

Free resources to bring mindfulness and meditation into the home.

Online self-guided courses and resources from MindUP, designed to support families in cultivating mindfulness, awareness, compassion, an understanding of the brain, and more.

This is a simple and fun activity to do with kids or adults of any age. It can serve as an introduction to the practice of mindfulness or just be a visual metaphor for the interplay of life’s chaos and stillness.