Focus Training for Children by Kirsten Doesle.
Hello and welcome to this session.
It's time now to get into the best position for mind training.
Sit cross-legged on your bottom on the floor,
Maybe with your back up against a wall if you can.
Your spine should feel long,
Let your shoulders drop away from your ears and let your hands rest in your lap.
Imagine you have a string from the top of your head that is gently holding your neck long.
You might feel your chin drop down a bit and let your jaw be soft and let go.
You can gently close your eyes or just let your eyes look downwards.
Invite your mind to get ready to do some training.
You're going to strengthen the muscle of your mind.
Your mind is very wonderful.
It can think and remember and imagine but sometimes our mind can be a bit like a little puppy all over the place and just like the puppy we can train our mind with kindness and gentle instruction.
Okay mind it's time to listen.
Notice what your mind or self-talk is saying now and on purpose imagine catching the thoughts that might be jumping around in your mind and place them gently into a box then softly close the lid.
You can come back to all these things later.
You might catch a thought about something that you want to do after this session or a worry about something that happened earlier.
We are clearing a space in our mind by doing this catching and boxing on purpose.
Catch and box those thoughts now while I am quiet for a moment.
Notice how you feel in your body today.
Maybe strong or tired or energetic.
How do you feel in your emotions today?
Happy?
Sad?
Maybe a little irritated or excited?
Just notice right now.
When we are new at training our mind it helps to have something to notice.
So we are going to on purpose notice the body.
Your busy puppy mind might have a lot to say about this already but each time your mind butts in in a really kind voice you gently say not now thank you mind I'm doing my mind muscle training and you bring your attention back to my voice and instructions.
Your mind will wander off over and over but this returning to paying attention is making the muscle of your mind able to focus and when you notice your mind has butted in again and you bring it back that's a great moment to say yay me I'm really getting this.
Notice now your sit bones on the floor.
Feel the hardness or the softness of the surface.
Notice where you feel the pressure on your feet maybe on the outside of your feet.
Sense the feeling of the knees squashed up in that cross-legged position.
Notice the warmth from your hands as they sit in your lap.
Can you feel your backbone against the wall in some spots?
Can you feel the space where the backbone isn't against the wall?
Do you notice that your belly is moving in and out as you breathe?
Can you feel your throat and neck?
Do you notice that your head sits right on top of your spine?
Has your mind butted in yet?
Have you remembered to kindly guide it back to my words?
You are noticing how your body feels right now.
Maybe there's a spot in your body that's a little painful.
If there is can you shift a bit to feel better?
Our body likes to be comfortable.
Now what about turning on your listening sense?
When you hear sounds around you just try to hear them and not to think about what they might be or why they are there.
Just notice if the sound is loud or soft,
High-pitched or a low grumbly sound.
You might notice also that it comes and goes and if your mind starts telling a story about it not now thank you mind.
I'm doing my mind training.
Now let's tune into another sense.
Notice the inside of your mouth.
Let your teeth drop apart a little.
When your tongue is relaxed the tip of your tongue will sit gently behind the top teeth and the rest of your tongue will be fat and soft in your mouth.
Feel how moist and warm and soft the inside of your mouth is.
Can you actually taste anything there?
Is it sweet or sour,
Salty?
We can also notice the sense of smell.
Take a nice slow breath in and sniff about for any scent you might notice.
Sometimes there is not much to smell and just notice that.
Remember that if your mind interrupts not now thank you mind.
Now still with your eyes closed can you notice that you can actually see shapes and maybe colors in front of your eyes?
You're noticing your sense of sight.
Look on purpose at these shapes,
Colors.
For some people they move and swizzle about and for other people they're more flowy and quiet.
Noticing your sense of sight.
Now see if you can notice a little bit of everything that's going on in your body.
The feeling of your body sitting,
Areas of pressure,
The feeling of your body breathing,
The sounds around you,
The taste and smell,
The things that are moving in front of your eyes.
Just noticing what it is like to be just sitting in this moment.
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to go.
And now notice how you feel in yourself.
We learn to notice the outside world and the inside world.
Maybe your busy puppy mind feels a little more settled from doing this noticing exercise.
Maybe you feel a little more calm.
Place your hands on your head and say clear and calm here.
And again with me clear and calm here.
Thank your mind for coming with you and your body for sitting here.
Shift your hands now and place one hand on your belly and one hand in the middle of your chest and say I am here.
And again with me I am here.
You might feel your hands moving as your body breathes in and out.
Thank you body.
Let your breath flow all the way out with a sigh.
Let your hands drop down.
Then allow your clever body to breathe in a deep breath and have a lovely stretchy stretch out as far as your arms and legs can reach.
You might even enjoy a big yawn.
And then to finish this session,
Pop a little smile on your face and give yourself a hug.
I hope you enjoyed this little break and if you do this lots you will find it easier and easier to train that amazing mind of yours.
Have a great day.
Thank you.
