In the ‘Here & Now’- Caring & Curious
by meditative - February 17th, 2016.Filed under: Insights for Mindful Intelligence, Mindfulness for Parents & Children.
Naturally curious & caring our children are primed & ready for mindfulness.
Children have a natural tendency to be more readily in the here & now. They are less preoccupied by the activities of mind- ruminating about the past or anticipating the future, and more likely to be engaged by the prospect of direct and felt (sentient) experiences. They live in the moment possessing two highly malleable qualities of this felt or embodied awareness (sentience), which are inherently fundamental to cultivating mindfulness:
(i). A CARING quality… to be open-minded, engage, embrace, trust, and befriend their internal & external experiences regardless of what they may present both patiently & purposefully with a genuine intent to learn- to know- to be happy- to be peaceful & compassionate.
(ii). A CURIOUS quality… to see, feel, and experience things with a true beginner’s mind /heart- more directly and intimately in fresh, new ways without preconceptions, assumptions, or opinions. Curiosity allows them to be more adventurous & creative, flexible & resilient. When refining & strengthening the ‘beginner’s mind/heart’, even ‘setbacks’ can be viewed as an opportunity to learn something new.
Caring & curious our children may routinely practice PAUSING, BREATHING & OBSERVING in an awareness that is highly portable & accessible to all… to see (acknowledge) & let be… to see (accept) & let go… trusting & confident they have within themselves what it takes to freely make good choices even in difficult situations. Resting in their own ‘space’ of awareness- however they describe it- they may come to realize they are much larger than their temporary (non-defining) thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Things change frequently and so do they. Change is ‘okay’ and so are they.