Mindfulness Exercise 2: Listening
MANILA, Philippines — Mindfulness is a way of being that both adults and children can practice. It may sound complicated, but it really just means awareness. It is the practice of noticing things in the moment, especially those overlooked, such as one’s breathing, feelings, thoughts or actions.
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By now, you already know how important mindfulness is in your child's development and that there are certain practices that you can do to guide your child through achieving it,
Aside from Breathing as one of the activities to practice mindfulness, Dr. Honey Carandang also suggested Listening.
As most parents know, children can sometimes be aggressive especially when they cannot find the right words to express their feelings. One way to ease this aggression is by letting them listen to soothing music. Aside from calming them, mindful listening also help them come into a neutral, present awareness. The idea of the listening exercise is to simply listen and themselves to succumb at the music being played without any distractions and judgment.
Children can do the listening activity for 5 to 10 minutes a day at different times: before school, before homework, or before bedtime. It can be scheduled and regimented if structure helps your child, or it can be changed—to keep the novelty and fun of it—but maintained on a flexible daily schedule.
The proper way of doing breathing is shown on the infographic below:
Here are some relaxing music they can use in doing the activity.
Before doing the activity, designate a "breathing space" at home where you can perform them. Create a relaxing setting by lighting a scented candle, changing the lighting to a dimmer shade and placing a special mat to create a comfortable space. The only rule is that the person’s mood and right to be quiet are respected.
