My four-year-old daughter was having temper tantrums daily before we began a guided meditation practice. Now, rather than losing it, she asks to meditate so she can find her centre. Meditation is a beautiful gift we can give to our children, helping to empower themselves during times of stress and fatigue.
When we guide our children on meditations it’s very important to use words and images appropriate for their age. This is the first meditation I used with my daughter. I would cradle her in my arms when she meditates and speak very softly.
Guided meditation for kids
Close your eyes, gently, as if you’re sleeping. Take a deep breath… and now let it out. Take another deep breath in and slowly let it out. One more deep breath in, and as you are letting it out, imagine a star up high in the sky. This is the Heaven Star and there’s a beam of light coming out of the star. The beam is coming down through the sky, into our house and right into the top of your head.
Feel it move very, very slowly. Down from the top of your head, past your eyes… your ears… your mouth and into your neck. It’s moving slowly down your neck and then down your spine, the centre of your back, slowly… slowly. Feel it coming down past your tummy and into your hips. Now it’s slowly moving down your legs, down to your knees and slowly working its way past your ankles. Feel it filling your feet up with its beautiful light.
Now it’s spilling out the bottom (soles) of your feet and down through the floor, through the house and into the Earth. The light makes its way through the ground and past an underground stream to cleanse the light, and then it flows down deep into the centre of the Earth where the Earth Star lives.
When this light touches the Earth Star another beam of light comes up from the Earth Star and through the ground. Up… up it comes, through the underground stream and up… up into our house. Feel it coming up and into your feet.
As it fills your feet, it moves up past your ankles and slowly makes its way to your knees. Feel the light passing your knees and making its way up your legs to your hips.
Now the energy is coming up your body, working its way up your spine. Feel it slowly filling you with its gentle, relaxing feelings. The energy touches your throat and moves up, slowly into your head. Past your mouth… your ears… up past your eyes and out the top of your head. The beam of light is reaching up to the sky, and right up to the Heaven Star.
Now imagine yourself in a field full of flowers. There are so many different colours. Look up at the sky. Do you see any birds or butterflies? Look around and see how many different colours of flowers there are.
Off in the distance you can see a group of horses. When you see them—one of them looks at you and comes over to meet you. This horse is so beautiful and very gentle. What colour is the horse? Now the horse is kneeling down so you can climb on its back and go for a ride.
Feel the wind in your hair and feel the freedom as your horse runs faster and faster through the field. When you get to the other side, slide off your horse and pick a flower for your horse. What colour would your horse like the best?
Pick some flowers for yourself as well, all your favourite colours.
Holding your flowers in your hand, climb back on top of your horse and ride, slower this time, looking at all the beautiful rocks, ponds and trees as you make your way back to where you began.
When you arrive back where you started, as you get off your horse, look into its eyes and ask it its name. Is it a boy horse, or a girl horse? Thank your horse, and say goodbye. Sit down in the flowers, taking a nice deep breath and slowly open your eyes, feeling calm and happy.
After this meditation we discuss all the adventures she had with her horse. Sometimes we go to a pond and drink from it, stopping to take a swim (it’s a magickal pond where we can breathe under water!), other times we walk along the beach and pick up shells.
I hope this meditation brings you and your children closer together and empowers them to control their feelings in a healthy, functional way.
For more guided meditation scripts read GUIDED IMAGERY: Use these scripts to help children cope with anxiety and stress
Aleesha Stephenson is editor of Timeless Spirit.
