Meditation for Littleun

We are half way through our Summer Break and the strain is starting to show. Littleun is getting more and more bored no matter what we do and it’s mainly because he wants to get to his new school. In despair I thought lets head to the allotment. He is normally a lot calmer there anyway. Once there looking over the wonderful views we have, the noise cut down and surrounded by plants grown with love and care He did indeed seem to calm, but not enough. Now at home during term time we have often headed out to the beach and held some meditation time so why not here on our patch of earth too.

I find a good way to start with the meditation is to sit him down in the open grass, give him something to hold that he can concentrate on, in this case a lovely set of red sunflowers given to us by our allotment neighbour, and to tell him to focus on the petals. For each petal he then calls out something which he finds happy, the love of playing on the beach or going for walks, seeing his Grandparents, collecting pine cones, making things with his meccano etc by the time he has finished his mind is normally starting to calm down. You can see in his body he is relaxing. When he has got to a certain stage I normally sit behind him and gently massage his shoulders whilst he sits in silence. Finally he drifts off so much that he is dozing lying against me in the sunshine.

Listening to the birds, watching the bees with a beautiful lad asleep, in peace and quiet. What a great way to meditate and spend the afternoon.

A day for Meditation

When it comes to Meditation do we ever allow ourselves enough time aside for it? Do we only ever turn to it when we have a bad day or do we use it for the search for inner truth? Well in my case its a little of both. I don't do it as often as I should but I do use it for both inner-searching and for calming myself after a mad bad day.

Today is one of those Mad days, the sort where my hands end up slightly smoother than I wanted as I got diluted caustic on them by mistake when unblocking the 2 toilet rolls that Littleun had jammed the system up with. Or the day that dreaded winter gas bill arrives, all £335 worth. Or the day when I get told that yes my Littleun has inherited my eye problems and appears to have an astigmatism (means can't focus correctly, blurred vision and being totally rubbish at those 3d puzzles!) And yes its only 2.30pm but so far all the above has happened today.

Bearing this in mind I went for the calming type, sometimes its a bit of tai chi, sometimes I sit in a candle lit room with lavender incense but today it was the "paradise dream". I sit in a quiet room, put on a bit of gentle music from my last summer holiday, close my eyes and dream of my version of paradise. Normally its picturing the lavender fields with a late summer afternoons warmth rolling over us as Littleun plays and I read, camping by the stream watching the fish sparkle and the birds twittering about, the smell of fresh bread and cheese on the board nearby, knowing that we are safe and happy here. It works every time. I can feel the blood pressure lowering, my temper stops flaring and I start smiling.

Of course if the neighbours start to smell my baking, you'll know I got stressed again, the other great way of working out my hassles is to beat that dough. Hoping you are all having a slightly better day than I am!