Here’s a 2 year old in my care, reading and reflecting on the ‘Always open like Baby Skye’ book which we’ve been reading and singing at nap time for the last few months.
The book confirms all feelings are safe to have and perfect as they are, like the weather in the sky.
In my 23 years of working with children I found most traditional nursery rhymes to be random in their message, bordering disempowering, and I was hungry for a child’s first songs and books to be about how perfect everything about them is!
This is how this baby book was born. It introduces toddlers to the simple (yet profound) Dzogchen practice of relaxing for short moments repeated many times, open like the sky, as stormy feelings flow on by.
‘Sometimes we are happy, and sometimes we are sad!
Sometimes we are hungry and sometimes we are mad! All the types of feelings are like weather in the sky.
We relax for short moments and see we’re always fine’
I love to see children’s natural interest and spontaneous compassion when seeing sadness and all feelings normalised in the book. To share with children at a young age that all feelings are perfect as they are is very nurturing for them! They are hungry for truth and a deep reassurance that all is fundamentally well. Wether they feel sad, mad, or tired it is comforting to know that like Baby Skye they can relax open like the sky, for a short moment, and that the stormy feeling leaves no trace!
As adults we often are amazed at how naturally our children are happy and open like the clear sky, unscratched by anything that stirs. They move on much faster than we do, letting everything flow freely in the vastness of their mind without leaving a trace.
When I was introduced to the nature of mind, I felt a deep sadness that this education was not part of the fundamentals taught in Social and Emotional Development for Early Years!
I have taught children for the past 13 years whilst involved in Dzogchen teachings with Candice Rinpoche and saw in all of the children a deep thirst and resonance with the metaphors of the teachings. I see it is a birthright for children to know the nature of their own mind!
I’d love to know what you think, feel free to comment below. Thank you for reading!
Click here to order the baby board book ‘Always Open like Baby Skye’ for the babies and toddlers in your life!
#natureofmind #socialandemotionaldevelopment #earlyyears #babybuddha #babyreader #emotionalliteracy #mindfulkids #mindfulreaders #mindfulparenting #mindfuleducator #dzogchenforkids #meditationforkids