Hello Mindful Community!
Stillness could be defined as the art of doing nothing, just being. As for our modern culture the focus is on action and keeping ourselves busy all the time, to the extent that when we have nothing to do, we feel nervous and anxious; and on the other hand we feel exhausted from not being able to stop.
“The body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness” Sakyong Mipham
One of the most popular practices in Mindfulness is to meditate to find inner stillness, and yet so many of us find it difficult just to be still for a few minutes.
While it is natural for kids not to be still, learning how to calm down and rebalance their energy is crucial for their wellbeing.
Being still is a great tool for our body to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us to decrease our heart rate and increase our digestion, so toxins can be processed, acid can be neutralized, keeping our physical body balanced and healthy.
Our mind has a big part in us not being able to relax and be still. We may be sitting but we may not be still. We may be watching some tv show, chatting with someone, even these actions will keep us in action mode, as we are responding to stimuli. The mind will pull us all the time into action, so we need to pull us into being able to stop, pause, and take some time in the day to do literally nothing, just be in awareness with our breath, our body and our mind.
Please, try these resources to help experience stillness:
EE - KG - G1 - G2
By thisisLEA
By Yo Re Mi
G3 - S4 - S5
By Happy Minds
By MyLife
Grade 6 - Grade 12
By Mindful Moments with JusTme
By Alyssa Gamboa
Staff and Parent Personal Practice
By Nivritti Yoga
By Caroline McCready
We hope you find these resources helpful in exploring the sensation and benefits of stillness.
With kindness,
The Mindfulness Team
Lola, Indira and Susie
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