A quiet mind is a clear mind.

It is possible for kids to sit in quiet

More often than not, in our everyday lives, we are confronted with noise, noise and more noise.  Schools are one of the noisiest places in town. With over a thousand students at any day, the noise produced by them is quite considerable. It is a wonder how kids can hear each other. It’s a bigger wonder how teachers get themselves heard above the cacophony! The only time schools are quiet is probably during exam time. The more important the exams are, the more seriously schools impose the rule of quietness unto the students. In South Korea, the national exams are so highly venerated that the entire country goes on a stand still – jet planes are not allowed to fly; vehicles are not allowed to blare their horns… even cats and dogs are trained to be very quiet! This goes to show that quietness is prerequisite for thinking. In order for thinking to be exercised, it is essential that quietness be maintained.

This is also why, it is important to keep our home environment as quiet as possible. This is not to say that we shut out all sounds by sound-proofing our entire house! We are merely suggesting that you do not turn it into a market place. How can that happen? Well, if you have a tv at home, that becomes the channel where a great deal of noise gets channeled into your living room, or the bedroom, or wherever you choose to put the idiot box in.

That is why it is imperative that we keep meal times and play time reasonably quiet and tv-free.

There should also be a THINKING TIME where children are allowed to think about anything and to express their thinking via stories, art, music, or even mathematical equations!

We could have a sign that says: THINKING ALLOWED and children go into quiet contemplation. Then there is another sign that says: THINKING ALOUD where kids are encourages to share their thoughts with everyone else. That would be really COOL!

A cool head is a creative head. To help parents, teachers and children keep cool-headed, simple exercises in mindfulness can have tremendous results.

Simple Exercise

Here is a simple exercise that everyone can do:

1. Sit down comfortably with the back straight.

2. Bring your attention to your breathing: as you breathe in, count one. As you breathe out, count two.

3. Repeat the counting for about 5 to 10 mins.

Give praise to your kids for being able to sit quietly even for 5 minutes. They will be encouraged to do quiet sitting more regularly. For parents and teachers, this can be a great mind saviour because in times of stress and distress, a cool head is what’s needed.

Be quiet. Be cool.

A quiet mind is a cool mind!

LBS Conducts session/workshops to help parents and children to sit in quiet meditation, emails us if you have a group or or interested to get one going.