How to start manifesting and meditating for kids

Looking after ourselves

Manifesting is about becoming the best you that you can be! To do this we have to look after ourselves. This means we must take care of our bodies and our minds.

Looking after our bodies helps us to:

• Feel healthier

• Have more energy

Looking after our minds (our thoughts, feelings and emotions) helps us to:

• Feel more confident

• Feel happier day to day

• Cope with challenging times

Here are some ways we can look after our minds and bodies:

• Exercise regularly and drink plenty of water

• Spend time outdoors (preferably in nature)

• Go to bed at the same time each night (and not too late!)

• Eat healthy food (like lots of different fruits and vegetables)

• Write in a journal

• Meditate

• Repeat affirmations

• Practise gratitude

Routines

To see the real benefits of doing any of these things, we have to do them often. One way we can practise doing them more often is to follow a routine.

I want you to make up your own routines, one for the morning and one for the evening. To do this, choose two (or more!) of the above practices to do every day. Here is an example of what a routine could look like.

My routine

Day 1:

Morning – repeat affirmations, eat a healthy breakfast
Evening – journal, go to bed early

Day 2:

Morning – affirmations, healthy breakfast
Evening – meditate, journal

Day 3:

Morning – exercise, practice gratitude
Evening – journal, affirmations

Meditation

Before we go to the next step, I want to talk to you about something called meditation.

Our minds are often very busy. Sometimes the brain is like a monkey, jumping around from one thought to the next. One minute we might be listening to what our teacher is telling us and the next we are thinking about what we want for dinner, and then our mind wanders to what our friend said to us at break time! Some people call this the ‘monkey mind’.

One way that we can look after ourselves is to give our busy minds a break – time to rest and recharge. Meditation helps us do this. It is a practice that helps you to quieten that monkey mind by encouraging it to focus on what is happening right now (this is also called ‘the present moment’). This means you aren’t thinking about what’s going to happen later or what happened in the past. Instead, you are focusing on the present.

Remember, manifesting is about living your best life. Regularly practising meditation helps us to do that thanks to its many benefits. Some benefits of meditation are:

• It calms us down when we feel overwhelmed, stressed, sad or angry.

• It makes space in our minds to help us be more creative, come up with new ideas or problem-solve.

• It helps us sleep better and fall asleep more easily.

• It helps us with concentration (which makes this a great tool to use if you’re struggling to stay focused at school!).

So how do you do it? Sometimes people meditate on the floor cross-legged. Or you can also meditate lying down on your back or sat on a chair.

Here are a few other ways to meditate. Can you try one of these now?

1. Listen to a guided meditation.

This is a great option if you are new to meditation. In a guided meditation, a voice will tell you what to do and help lead your imagination. These are easy to follow and they often play relaxing music in the background too! There are lots of guided meditations on YouTube or different apps. I have also recorded free kids’ meditations for you to try, which are available from my website: www.roxienafousi.com

2. Visualize.

Close your eyes and use your imagination to play a calming or happy scene in your mind. For example, you could play one of your favourite memories or imagine yourself in a place where you feel calm, safe and relaxed. When we play happy scenes in our minds, our brains send signals to our bodies that tell it to relax!

3. Teddy/toy meditation.

Lie down on your back. Place your favourite small teddy or toy on your belly and focus your attention on watching it move up and down as you breathe in and out slowly. Remember to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth as you do this. You could set a timer before you start so you know when to finish. Try three minutes first, then gradually increase the time each day. I usually like to meditate for ten minutes.

Meditating is about focusing your mind and slowing down your monkey mind! This can be tricky at first, so don’t worry if you find it hard to sit still or relax. This is totally normal. It takes practice but keep trying and over time you will find it easier and easier to slow down your mind and relax. This is a skill that will help you throughout your life!

TRY IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Find a time to meditate together. Perhaps you could all meditate together at break time? Each day you could challenge yourselves to do one minute longer than the day before!