Teach Your Child to Concentrate - One Minute at a Time

Every Thursday morning for 45 minutes, I teach a group of young teenagers hatha yoga and concentration. It is quite astounding how rapidly their concentration improves through the practice of yoga.

We spend about 30 minutes on hatha yoga and approximately 15 minutes on concentration exercises. The following exercise is helpful not only for young teenagers but for the parents as well.

Use a watch with a timer or any other timer you have available.
Set your intention ahead of time by choosing one word that represents what you will concentrate on. It could be a quality you would like to manifest or any inspiring word that is meaningful to you in the moment.

Yesterday we used the 'heart'. The children decided that if their mind began to wander they would say, "my heart, my heart, my heart." We placed our hands on our hearts, closed our eyes, and I set the alarm.

At the end of one minute, interestingly enough, most of the children did not open their eyes. They were still wrapped up in concentrating on their heart.

When asked what had changed for them, one girl replied, "I feel calmer." I then asked a boy what he felt; he said, "I feel quieter."

As I watched, their faces looked more peaceful; they were less restless (no unconscious moving of body parts) and feeling of their presence (their vibration) had changed.

What could this quick exercise do for your children - for you? It only takes one minute. I invite you to use it with your children and use it yourself, as often as you feel you 'need' it.

Peace,
Rijuta Tooker
Soul-Power Community