In order to meditate and be relaxed, one has to concentrate and breathe properly. The first sessions detailed within this book deal with meditation, which implies concentration—too abstract a notion for young children. To help them concentrate and reach relaxation, we will therefore use touch meditation that calls on their sense of touch.
Through meditation, your child also develops a breathing practice. In an effort to maintain their attention, the posture explanations are rather playful and refer to animals or nature to speak to the younger group.
The flexibility exercises prepare the body for yoga postures, with simple poses working on the neck, arm, legs, and knee muscles or joints.
Because they link concentration and breathing, mudras (“gesture” in Sanskrit) look like hand yoga. They balance the body, which is composed—just like the universe—of five elements. Each finger is associated with one part of the body: the thumb corresponds to fire; the index to air; the middle finder to space; the ring finger to earth; and the pinkie to water. In the same way, by stimulating the reflexive zones, each zone of the palm and of each finger interacts with a part or organ of the body.
Summary
Relaxation - activities 1 to 5
Meditation - activities 6 to 11
Breathing - activities 12 to 16