Self soothing, self calming practice. High school PE teacher told our class to lie on our backs, eyes closed, knees tented up, place flat hands on abdomen to feel breathing deep into lungs. The idea that through a simple breath practice I could moderate stress, physical emotional intellectual, and change the trajectory of a situation, was new National Geographic: Stress - Portrait of a Killer documentary.
I used that simple belly breathing to slow down before speeches, oral exams, public presentations through the years until at Harvard I took a course led by David Eisenberg MD (Healing & the Mind (Programs 1-5) PBS 5 episode series David Eisenberg MD on Tai Chi, Qi Gong, acupuncture, Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD Chronic Pain Mindfulness Meditation, David Spiegel MD metastatic breast cancer meditation and group therapy, Rachel Remen MD Commonweal Hospice) and learned Mindfulness Meditation (Dhamma Brothers documentary of 10 day meditation training and 10 year follow up) with Jon-Kabat Zinn and began using that as a tool for slowing down before embarking on a challenging day and then again when preparing for sleep.
I read Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snell and listened to the CD. This gentle book is a less imposing introduction to the concept of personal agency in self soothing for adults as well as children. Parental teaching is less intimidating when we have experience with the practice of self calming and are able to communicate that confidence to children. I shared with a PE teacher at our local high school that one simple exercise helped me throughout college, and he immediately said "belly breathing." Mindfulness is the opposite of motoric hyperactivity. Learning to value boring quiet time for thought reflection emptying the mind of worries is an important survival skill.
The Soloist biopic of Nathaniel Ayers Julliard trained cellist with schizophrenia demonstrates the healing power of self discipline to combat frontal cortex cognitive disruption, endow us with momentary reconnection with rationality and self control, and restore balance.
Solitude, the ability to sit alone with one's own thoughts for 15 minutes in an empty room without distracting talk, electronics, doing or writing, is a survival skill which serves to restore well-being in a hectic moment.
Just 3 deep slow belly breaths is enough of a distraction to delay an uncontrolled emotional outburst which could damage self regard, and may result in stigma from observers. Learning to pause and attend to the breath puts us back in control.
Human brains function best unitasking, thinking one thing at a time. If we are watching our belly rise, pursing our lips to breathe out slowly, the natural metronome of breath slows us down, achieving natural stillness.
Life cannot be all mountains of peak activity. We need valleys of rest to reflect and restore our souls. Mindful solitude can control chronic pain, help connect with what is meaningful and valuable in our lives now, and remind us that we are not alone in our vulnerabilities.
We want to avoid the fate of The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Bantam Classics) Leo Tolstoy feeling we wasted precious and irretrievable moments on meaningless gazingus pins like [ASIN:B00X3DC702 Madame Bovary] Mia Wasikowska, Your Money Or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence 1992 hardback or 1993 paperback only, later editions written by different author, anger The Karate Kid (Special Edition) Ralph Macchio Pat Morita and existential loneliness vs self nurturance, Departures Oscar Best Foreign Film English subtitles abandoned age 6, tries to please absent father, fails at life career, spouse leaves, mentored by new employer and bath house owner, learns self agency, forgiveness without apology, grows self up, The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, but Does Sonja Lyubomirsky.
Self agency in problem solving comes with practice in coping with events out of our control, like parental mental illness, conflict or divorce, chemotherapy radiation and surgery, bullying, cognitive disability and discovering that we can survive, figure out a way to deal with adversity and move on. The younger we are when we develop confidence in our self soothing skills, the more durable our resilience as teens and adults [ASIN:076364367X The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane] Kate DiCamillo, Dhamma Brothers documentary of 10 day meditation training and years later follow up of learning self soothing for the first time in adulthood.
5* gentle boring introduction to meditation for grown ups and children alike.
Be well.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the authors
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
This item: Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents)
$11.16
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 18
In Stock
+
$15.90
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 18
In Stock
+
$10.93
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 18
In Stock
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Frequently purchased items with fast delivery
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2015
- Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2016
- Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2015
- Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2025
Top reviews from other countries
-
-
vanessaReviewed in Spain on October 13, 2018
Interesante para la práctica en el aula.
- Jan RyszawyReviewed in Japan on December 4, 2018
Great way to introduce mindfulnes to children
