My 11 year old brother has shown some interest in meditation. I've explained the concept to him and given him some pointers previously, and today he asked me about it. So I'm going to sit down and try to teach him how to meditate. I'm no Zen master, but I've got the basics down and I'd like input on how to set a kid up for learning on his own. I won't see him for a while, so I just want to point him in the right direction and hope he takes it from there. Does anyone have any experience or advice? Any simple techniques you are particularly fond of? Cheers
It is good that he shows some interest for meditation. I suggest he meditates on something he's naturally comfortable with. That'll motivate him. Make him reach out for his own attraction to meditation. Tell him to be creative.
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh often teaches children and he introduces them to mindfulness meditation through everyday enjoyable activities, such as eating a piece of fruit. He invites them to look deeply at the piece of fruit, to recognize all the elements that went into it. All the effort of the farmers and distributors, the sunshine, the Earth, the rain and so on. Then he gets them to touch and smell the fruit, to take a small bite and truly taste it deeply. "When you are eating, chew only your fruit. Don't chew your worries, your fear, or your homework." He also teaches them walking meditation. I feel such activities are better for children than straight up sitting meditation, since they have so much raw energy to do things that it is very hard, and unnatural, for them to sit still.
