By Kellie Edwards
“Mummy, can we do a different mindfulness practice tonight?”
“Sure we can Darling, would you like to?”
“uh-huh.”
“OK, close your eyes, and settle down into your bed and take your attention down to your feet.
“Feel from the inside where your feet are in the bed, where they are touching the sheet and silently thank your feet for walking you around all day. They have worked hard for you today to get you where you wanted to go.
“Now bring your attention up to your legs. Feel from the inside where they are heaviest as you sink gratefully into the bed like a floppy rag doll. Silently thank your legs for holding up your body all day, helping you walk and run and do cartwheels on the grass. They have worked hard today and they need to rest.
“Now bring your attention to your tummy and chest. All your organs are in there – your stomach and intestines that have helped you digest your food, your lungs that let you breathe, your heart that has been pumping blood all around your body……Silently thank all your organs in your tummy and chest for doing all of that for you today.
“Now see if you can get a feeling of where your arms are resting in the bed. Are they heavy against the sheets? They have been very busy today lifting and carrying things, dancing and waving about, and helping you have fun. Silently thank your arms and let them settle down into the bed for a rest.
“See if you can feel where your hands are resting. Boy those hands of yours need a big thank you for doing so much to help you today. They have been writing and drawing, picking things up and playing, using the computer, and pointing which way to go. Silently thank your hands and let them have a lovely long break.
“Finally, as you really let your body go and drift off to sleep, feel how heavy your head is against the pillow and silently send it a big thank you for all the thinking, smelling, hearing, looking, and tasting it has done for you today.
Send a soft and gentle smile of thanks to your wonderful body and have a beautiful sleep my darling girls.”
Kellie Edwards is a facilitator of mindfulness in the family, the workplace and beyond. She runs group workshops and individual coaching sessions integrating mindfulness practices and the psychology of flourishing. She writes a blog with Huffington Post and also other guest blog spots. She is a qualified meditation teacher, a registered psychologist and a member of the Australian Psychological Society
Child’s room photo available from Shutterstock
APA Reference
Edwards, K. (2016). Bedtime Mindfulness: A Gratitude Body Scan for Children. Psych Central. Retrieved on April 26, 2016, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/02/02/bedtime-mindfulness-a-gratitude-body-scan-for-children/
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 3 Feb 2016
Originally published on PsychCentral.com on 2 Feb 2016.
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