My kids suffer massively from overwhelm. Maybe it’s a family trait because I do too. I’ve discovered the incredible benefits of meditation, and now my feelings of overwhelm are less regular and much less severe.
I’ve tried to get my kids involved in meditation too but they’re all resistant. It’s the sitting still that bothers the younger ones, I think. My eldest daughter says she hates all the talk about spirit – I think she things I’m trying to indoctrinate her into a secret cult. Which I sort of am, but it’s an awesome one.
Filmmakers Julie Bayer Salzman and Josh Salzman have created a gorgeous short film called Just Breathe, which could build the bridge I need to bring my kids over to the world of meditation without it being some great big scary ohmming monster.
“Just Breathe” breaks things down even further – you guessed it – to just breathing.
In creating the four-minute film, the pair talked to children of various ages about how their emotions affect them and how they physically feel when things aren’t going well for them. And then the kids talk about how being mindful and breathing deeply helps them to feel better.
The film’s description says, “The inspiration for ‘Just Breathe’ first came about a little over a year ago when I overheard my then 5 year old son talking with his friend about how emotions affect different regions of the brain, and how to calm down by taking deep breaths – all things they were beginning to learn in kindergarten at their new school…I was surprised and overjoyed to witness first-hand just how significant social-emotional learning in an elementary school curriculum was on these young minds.”
One commenter wrote, “Amazing how you were able to capture such indescribably valuable knowledge within such a short film. But then again, children are our wisest teachers…are they not? Just breathing has transported me through the most challenging NOWS of this life and it is what I taught my own children back in the time when the term “mindfulness” was not well known. Thank you for creating this lovely film.”
Another said, “Wow! Would love to be able to see follow-up films as they get older! What a great program that will help these kids for the rest of their lives. It could also help them as they get older and begin to deal with mental health issues (and statistically, some will.) What a great foundation to build on. I am so sharing this!”
The filmmakers are currently raising funds so they can produce more films in a similar vein.
If you’ve got kids that might benefit from some calming techniques, “Just Breathe” is a great way to introduce the topic and start a conversation. From there, you might suggest your kids could try breathing deeply like the kids do in the film. Sure, you might have suggested it before, like I have, but hearing it straight from other kids could be just what your kids need to give it a try.
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