Take a mindful moment for you...
There's a high chance you are feeling overloaded on a continuous basis these days.
There's a lot we cannot control which can be scary, but there are a few things we can - like taking deep breaths, being present in the moment, being kind and compassionate to ourselves and others, snuggling our pets and nurturing our children.
When your brain's spinning and your heart's hurting try using this page to bring you back to the present moment and inject a dose of calm into trying times.
How to make a manadala
Through times of hardship and struggle such as what many of us are experiencing now, creating mandalas are a great way for kids and adults alike to focus their minds through this therapeutic activity.
Use your outdoor time to teach your little ones to interact with nature and connect to it by creating something magical! You can collect all sorts of bits and bobs you find on your local walk. Things like little stones, leaves, petals etc.. and then help your children (where needed) to create special circular patterns.
The extra special lesson that can be taught from using natural materials for your mandalas is that leaves and petals will change by withering and may lose their bright colour or shape, but they can change into something else which is just as magical in their own way!
This helps us teach children that things do alter and change which can help with feelings of sadness or anxiety.
Monks will spend days making their mandalas to the minutest of detail then will destroy them simply to reiterate the underlying message that ‘nothing is permanent’. This is especially important during this current time by helping children remember that this will pass, and although there is sadness and worry, there are also many beautiful things that are appearing such as communities uniting and coming together to support one another through difficulties and challenges.
Try these activities
Breathing ball
The breathing ball is an excellent toy to help introduce mindful breathing to your children. They love the shape and colours and how it expands and contracts to help them with their inhales and exhales. You can easily buy breathing balls online (like here on Amazon). Just be careful if you have several children, may all want to use the breathing ball at the same time! It’s a great time to practice “patience” if so.
In the video, Jen leads you through a mini mindful-breathing session using the ball.
