This is a post out of the “31 Days of Morning Circles ”.  You can find the main page for this series here.

Calm the mind and settle the soul with a short but powerful meditation in your morning circle.

After you have welcomed the morning, the sun, and your child(ren), take a few moments to breathe in the day. Don’t let the word “meditation” frighten you. You can think of it as a reflection or quiet time. I list some ways you can enjoy a brief moment even with the most distracted child.

A short meditation allows your child to:

• build a deep connection with you
• receive deep pressure input
• ground his body, calm his mind and prepare for the day’s activities

Adaptations for meditations:

• keep the meditation short — especially when first getting started – then, increase the amount of time as your child is able to remain in that state for longer
• meditations can be done sitting up, laying down on a mat, or even standing against a wall, if possible
• use a weighted lap pad to help ground your child
• don a blanket over the shoulders or legs to keep warm

See additional general adaptations for morning circle here.

Ideas for morning circle meditations to welcome the day:

Select one of these ideas at a time, but test them all to see which your child responds to best.

• ring a gentle bell to indicate the start of the meditation
• listen to instrumental music or nature sounds
• repeat mantra or sound (ex.: humming)
• listen to a song with reflective lyrics
• tap rhythm sticks without speaking
• keep eyes closed, if possible
• maintain silent eye contact with your child, even if just briefly
• slowly but rhythmically tap a body part (ex.: palm to the upper chest)
• stand face-to-face holding hands without words
• hold hands and sway without speaking
• deep breathing (exaggerate the breath and see if your child can imitate)
• set a timer and listen to it tick for one minute
• shake a snow globe and watch the snow settle
• recite a chant
• diffuse or sniff essential oil of lavender, if your child can handle scents well

How can you incorporate meditation in your morning circle?