This week at Mindful Minis we looked at the colour Violet. We spoke about nature and the things we find in nature that are violet or purple. The children were aware of many things – lavender, purple pansies, violets, brinjals, beetroot, purple feathers from a bird and some butterflies.
We spoke about how mixing blue and red together makes purple. I started off the classes with the wonderful Colours Explosion as our breathing exercise. I used this successfully last week so decided to try it again. The purpose is to get the children to exhale for longer than they inhale. This helps to slow down their heart beat and instil calm. This week I only added in red and blue colours to the mixture so it was lovely to see how the colours slowly mixed to violet. It really is a wonderful way to bring a child’s attention to the present moment. I highly recommend it for other children’s mindfulness teachers out there.
We discussed how over the ages, the colour purple has been associated with importance and royalty. This association dates back to the ancient world, where it was prized for its bold hues. Some Roman emperors reserved the colour for royalty only and any citizen found wearing purple clothing was sentenced to death! Luckily that no longer happens but purple is still associated with importance.
We also discussed how, in yoga, violet represents the Crown Chakra. It is located at the crown of the head and signifies wisdom and awareness. We discussed in class a little bit about wisdom and the difference between being clever and being wise.
We started off the mindful movement section with some fun sun salutations – using an adapted version of the Kira Willey song “Dance for the Sun”. It was lovely to see all the stretching and reaching, and really connecting with the body. After the warm up, I taught the children a warrior sequence. I introduced a mantra for each position:
- Warrior I – I am brave
- Warrior II – I am strong
- Warrior III – I am important
In all the classes, I felt the children connected with their own strength through the warrior sequence. There were some wobbles to start, but we ran through the sequence three times on each side so I felt the children had time to make it their own and absorb strength and confidence from the poses. Lovely to see the balance and focus.
We then moved into a relaxation time. I used my guided visualisation, “Planting Seeds”, where the children find a magical garden. In the corner of the garden are many brightly coloured containers filled with special seeds. I suggest that, when the child picks up a handful of blue seeds, they are filled with a sense of calm. When they pick up yellow and orange seeds, they are filled with a profound sense of joy. When they pick up silver seeds, they are blessed with inner peace. I encourage the children to plant the various seeds in their magical garden and to watch them sprout and grow.
I then suggest they choose more of their own seeds. Any qualities that they would like to see more of in their lives. To choose and plant these qualities in their magical garden. It is a beautiful meditation to increase a child’s confidence and belief in themselves. This is one of the meditations that will be on my CD “Mindful Moments for Minis” which is in its final stages of recording.
Some of the classes this week required a bit more discussion time so we did not have time for artwork in those classes. Each class is different and I get a sense for what the children need that day. But in the classes that did do artwork, the children made some wonderful paper plate crowns to remind themselves how important they are.
And of course, we always say our Mindful Minis Mantra at the end of each class, reminding the children of how important they are:
- I am kind
- I am calm
- I am healthy and strong
- I am important
So, this week I leave you with the wonderful quote from Rumi: “There is a sun within every person.” May we strive to help our children always see and know the sun within them.