Kids Meditation Adventure : Camp Curiosity

In this meditation adventure,

We're headed to a place called Camp Curiosity.

It's a place where you can make anything happen.

It's all up to your imagination.

Along the way,

We can imagine swinging through trees,

Rafting down rivers,

And gazing up at the big blue sky.

This practice is all about tapping into your own creativity and inner glow.

So let's get ready for the adventure.

You'll want to find a place to sit or lie down.

Maybe on a bed,

Or a chair,

A couch,

Or maybe the floor.

Wherever you choose,

Let it be cozy and comfortable.

And once you're there,

Let your body begin to settle.

See if you can feel all the parts of your body that are touching down.

All the parts of you that are supported by a surface.

See if you can rest into that support beneath you.

Let it really hold you,

Like it's giving you a hug.

And now let's warm up your imagination.

If you'd like to,

You could close your eyes,

And let's imagine packing a backpack with some supplies for your journey.

So picture a backpack in front of you,

Any color or pattern,

And imagine putting some things inside.

Hmm,

What will you need?

I suggest bringing a hat or sunglasses,

A towel,

And you'll also want to bring a paper straw,

A really long straw.

Let's see,

What else?

The rest is up to you.

You could pack a telescope,

Or a tutu,

A pillow,

Or a pogo stick.

Maybe you want to pack your favorite toy or stuffed animal,

Something that makes you smile.

Okay,

Once you're all packed,

Zip up your backpack.

Zip!

And don't worry,

If you forgot something,

You can always just imagine it later.

Before any great adventure,

I like to take some long,

Smooth breaths to calm my body and mind.

Maybe you'd like to try it with me.

First,

Let's notice how your breath is feeling right now.

If you can,

Let your body get really still.

You might be able to feel your breath,

Breath coming in,

Breath moving out,

All on its own.

Maybe you can feel the air as it moves through your nose,

Or maybe you feel it more in your chest,

How your chest rises and falls.

And what about your belly?

Maybe you can feel your breath moving your belly.

Just notice.

And let's take a few long,

Smooth breaths together.

Big breath in,

Long breath out.

Breathe in and out.

One more time,

Full breath in and let it out.

Nice.

And now let your breath move all on its own.

Nothing you need to do.

Your body breathing all by itself,

Just resting here.

What does it feel like when you're just resting?

Noticing your body and your breath.

Maybe you can feel tingling in your hands or a warmth in your belly or how your body moves as you breathe.

Just simply being,

Feeling your inner glow,

This feeling of aliveness.

You can return to this feeling of just being anytime.

It's yours,

Your inner glow,

Always right here.

What does it feel like to just be here,

Still and peaceful,

Calm and alive?

This feeling of being,

Being right here,

Everything okay,

Just as it is.

Let's bring this feeling,

This inner glow with us on our adventure.

There are lots of ways to get to Camp Curiosity.

One of the ways that I like is to follow the flying squirrels to the Rainbow River.

And these flying squirrels are the best tour guides.

They are amazing.

They glide through the forest,

Leaping from branch to branch.

If we are going to follow them,

We need to get our bodies ready for swinging and jumping,

Especially our hands and feet.

So begin to bring your attention to your hands.

And by that,

I mean to notice the feeling in your hands.

At first,

You might be imagining what your hands look like,

Picturing their shape and color.

But then see if you can also feel your hands.

Do they feel warm or cool?

You might notice tingling or a pulse.

Do they feel dry or a little sweaty?

They might feel heavy or light.

What do you notice when you feel your hands?

And then choose one hand.

Pick one side and see if you can feel the palm of that hand right in the center.

What do you feel there?

And then see if you can feel your thumb,

Your pointer finger,

Your middle finger.

Can you feel your ring finger and your pinky finger?

See if you can feel all your fingers at the same time and how there is space between your fingers.

And then let's check out the other side.

What does the other hand feel like?

Notice your palm on this side,

Feelings in your thumb,

Your pointer finger,

Middle finger.

How about your ring finger and your pinky finger?

Can you feel all your fingers and your thumb all at the same time and notice the space between your fingers?

Now feel both hands.

Feel both hands at the same time.

What's that like?

And now wiggle all your fingers and then close your hands tight like you're making fists.

Feel that.

What does it feel like when your hands are closed?

And then open your fingers,

Stretch them way out wide.

What does that feel like?

And then curl your fingers in again,

Making them small like fists.

Feel that.

And then one more time,

Open them up really wide.

Big space between your fingers and thumbs.

And now let your hands get really soft.

Nothing you need to do.

Whole body soft and resting.

Maybe you can sense how your hands feel more alive now after you've given them all that attention.

And then how about your feet?

We'll need them for the adventure too.

Notice feelings in your feet.

Maybe wiggle your toes.

Can you curl your toes in tight and then spread them out wide?

One more time,

Toes curl in and then open them up wide.

Space between your toes and then let your toes and feet relax.

Let them be soft.

Notice feelings at the bottom of your feet.

Left and right.

Both feet soft and still.

Nice.

Now that your hands and feet are all warmed up,

We're just about ready to go.

Ready to go find the flying squirrels?

It's not very common to see flying squirrels.

That's because they are nocturnal,

Which means they mostly play at night and they sleep during the day.

Luckily,

They are expecting us.

So I'm pretty sure we'll get to see them.

Ah,

The forest is right up ahead.

Imagine what this friendly forest looks like.

What sounds you might hear.

Maybe you can hear the flying squirrels.

As you get closer,

You look up high in the branches.

There they are.

So cute.

They're waiting for us.

Imagine climbing up the trunk of the nearest tree.

Finding a steady branch to stand on.

Take a look at the forest out in front of you.

Oh,

Over there.

One of the squirrels is waving to you.

Showing us the way.

Can you follow them in your imagination?

Reaching for a branch.

Swinging your way.

One branch to the next.

Jumping and catching yourself.

Finding another branch that's open.

Imagine smiling and laughing as you jump and swing.

Finding your rhythm.

Reaching and jumping.

One,

Two,

Three.

That's it.

Following the flying squirrels from branch to branch.

Making our way through the forest.

Feeling alive and kind of wild and free.

What does it feel like when you're doing something new and exciting?

Feeling curious about what's around you.

How does it feel in your body?

And then you land on the final branch.

Whew,

We made it.

Imagine climbing down and landing on the soft forest floor.

Letting your feet sink down into the pillowy soil.

Maybe you can even imagine the smell of the soil.

And then turning to thank the squirrels.

They smile and do cartwheels as they wave goodbye.

Walking a little further,

You might begin to hear the sound of the Rainbow River off in the distance.

There's the path to the river.

It's windy and covered in moss,

But someone has laid some stones to follow.

Wait a minute,

Those aren't stones at all.

Those are turtles showing us the way.

They'll guide us all the way to Rainbow River.

Just follow the turtles.

Past Pinecone Peak and over the rocky road.

Can you almost see it now?

Yes,

We made it.

Here on the shore of Rainbow River is a boat.

Just the right size for you.

You get to choose.

Is it a kayak?

A paddleboard?

Or maybe a sailboat?

Or a canoe?

Whatever you choose,

Imagine sliding it gently into the water and carefully stepping aboard.

You push off from the shore and make your way down the river.

Floating along,

You notice that the color of the river is changing all the time.

What's going on down there?

Sometimes the water is orange.

Sometimes it's yellow.

Oh,

Now it's purple.

And green.

That's strange.

Reach into your backpack and pull out that long straw that we packed.

Let's find out more about this Rainbow River.

This river not only is changing color,

It's also changing flavor all the time.

Different from one sip to the next.

One sip it might taste like pickle juice.

And the next sip might taste like mango smoothie.

Then orange juice?

Lemonade?

If you want to,

See what your river tastes like.

Imagine using this long straw to taste the river.

Take a deep breath in as you slurp up a nice big drink.

What did it taste like?

Let's try another sip.

Big breath in.

And let it out.

Mmm,

Tasty.

One more sip.

Breathe in and out.

The flavors are changing.

Hmm,

Kind of like how our feelings and thoughts are changing.

How they change all the time too.

Sometimes we feel happy and glad.

Other times we feel sad or mad.

Sometimes we're energized.

Sometimes more sleepy or shy.

Notice how your feelings come and go.

Always changing.

How are you feeling now?

What word would you use to describe how you feel?

Maybe relaxed or awake.

Happy or calm.

Maybe upset or cozy.

Just notice.

What does it feel like in your body when that emotion is here?

Where do you feel it?

Your inner glow is here too.

That feeling of just being.

You can call on that inner glow anytime.

That feeling of simply being.

Open and still.

Everything okay,

Just as it is.

As you travel further down the Rainbow River,

It opens up into a wide bay.

The water begins to slow down.

And your boat becomes a raft.

There's so much space here.

Blue sky up above.

Big and wide.

Your raft has floated into a quiet spot.

You might decide to drop your anchor and stay here for a while.

Plop.

As you lay down on the raft,

You can imagine your arms and legs stretching out wide.

Soft and relaxed.

Supported by the raft beneath you.

The water is really calm here.

And looking up at the sky,

You see birds flying.

A cloud or two in the distance.

And a butterfly fluttering along.

All moving and changing.

Coming and going.

All the while,

The sky itself feels calm and clear.

Wide open.

What would it feel like to be the sky?

Resting here,

You realize that camp curiosity is here.

Here with you all the time.

When you get quiet and still,

Your creativity and inner glow rise to the surface.

It's this place of possibility and imagination.

Wide open stillness.

Like the sky.

Where you can dream and explore in any way you can imagine.

And as our journey is coming to an end,

You might like to feel your breath again.

What does it feel like now?

Where do you feel your breath in your body?

Resting here,

Feeling yourself connected to your inner glow.

Letting it shine so bright from within.

And we'll close this practice with one big breath together.

Big breath in and let it out.