Meditation (med-i-TAY-shun)

Most dictionaries say meditation is the act of thinking but actually it is getting your mind quiet and not thinking. Most of the time our mind is thinking about things. Even in our sleep our mind is busy thinking. (Sometimes our minds seem to turn off when we are watching a show on TV, but that is more like being hypnotized.) We want to learn how to turn off our mind (our thoughts) in a quiet way, without the TV or radio on.

Now you may be wondering, “why do we want to turn off our mind, our thoughts?” Because when we stop thinking, then we can hear what our “inner self” has to say, or what our guardian angels may be trying to tell us. This can be the time when your best ideas come through, or even the answer to a problem you are having.

Getting our mind to be quiet and stop thinking is hard to do. It takes practice to get good at it, but you can do it! Here are some steps to try:

• Get in your quiet spot, like a corner of your bedroom, or on your bed.

• Make sure it is quiet and that you won’t be disturbed. I put a sign on my doorknob that says I’m meditating.

• If it is hard to get someplace quiet, you can have soft music playing in the room or on headphones.

• Get in a comfortable position, sitting or lying down and close your eyes. If you lie down, try not to fall asleep!

• If a thought comes into your mind, that is okay. Just think it and then let it go. Try doing this for 5 minutes. You can build up your time a little bit each day until you can go 15 minutes.

• It will take some time to get good at not thinking for 5 to 15 minutes. That is okay. Grown-ups have trouble doing it too. If you find it hard to do, don’t worry. Even just sitting quietly is a good way to relax your mind. One thing you can try that might help clear your mind is to concentrate on your breathing. Feel the air coming in through your nose. Feel your breath going out through your lips.

• If you get any good ideas from your inner self, or your angels, write about it in your journal. Remember, your angels and your inner self will only give you nice or positive ideas. They would never tell you to hurt yourself or anyone else.

If you want to make a sign for your doorknob, here is how:

Supplies: poster board or construction paper 3-4”x8-10”, markers, scissors, (Optional: picture or photo from a magazine, glue stick)

1. Cut construction paper or poster board to the size you want. My sign is 4” x 9”.

2. Draw a circle (2” across) that is 1/2” from the top and at least 1” from each side.

3. Cut out the circle. It helps to poke a hole inside it first. You might need an adult to help with this.

4. Decorate your door hanger anyway you want. Write something on it like “I’m meditating!” or “Quiet Please” on it so people will know to not bother you for a while.

5. Hang it on the outside of your door, on the knob when you close your door to meditate.

Here are pictures of two I made: