If you have read our To Live Is To Learn article, you might wonder why all the fuss about mud!
Meditation and mindfulness are terms that are widely used today to beat stress, tackle anxiety, avoid depression, promote brain development, achieve success, live a content life and for so many other benefits one can reap from them.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present and aware of where we are and what we're doing. Meditation is a state of stillness and silence. Being mindful and meditative helps us bring back and maintain a sense of balance and peace within us.
Children seem to be born with the ability to be always meditative and mindful. If we take a step back to observe them and ourselves, we will be able to understand that they are the purest form of living while we are the most formatted form. It is this purity that makes them nothing short of a spiritual guide in our lives.
In today’s world where there is so much noise for both adults and children alike in terms of expectations around accomplishment and over stimulation through information especially social media, it is important for us to find an outlet to bring back a sense of peace and balance within us. While for children being present and conscious comes naturally, for adults who have lost this ability, we have observed consciousness comes automatically when we are in a natural environment and/ or working with natural elements.
Our motivation behind ensuring AJ spends most of her time outdoors with mud, water, air, trees, and animals is to facilitate her to stay connected with herself and as she grows, equip her with most effective outlet to deal with the challenges she is faced with. It also helps that she enjoys the outdoors. Timely hunger and sleep are added bonuses!
You must be wondering what the connection between natural environments and mindfulness is! Observe a child exploring the environment, will first identify an object (sight), then pick it up (touch), try to rattle it/ drop it (hearing) and put it in their mouth (taste). The child is conscious of every sense used throughout the process each time! This is what allows them to be present in each moment. This is also how children learn! So, for children learning is not only an instinct it is also a meditative process. Often, we miss the most obvious and simple way to be meditative and mindful – be conscious of all the senses we are using at any given point in time. Natural environments facilitate this instantly without any efforts through positive energy transfers.
AJ (two and a half years old) enjoys gardening, playing in water (bath time, swimming pools and beaches) and being around animals (irrespective of where they are from – the streets, farms or homes), pottery and cooking!
For all of you who are looking for a way to be more mindful, DM to know more!
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