It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, and the theme is Growing Together.
An important part of growing into an emotionally and mentally stable human being is learning from others the words to recognise how we feel! However emotional literacy is only the first step. In this post we’ll explore how the Dzogchen Lineage teaches how to truly flourish whilst having all of human experience - including all feelings.
1️⃣😢😁😠😲😦Identification:
Through charts and pictures of different feelings, children learn the names of feelings and to identify what feelings they are having themselves.
2️⃣🤗💬Normalising feelings:
Hearing others share about their feelings normalises them. This helps to feel reassured that it is ok to have all feelings.
3️⃣ 🧘🏽♀️🧘🏽♂️ Resting the mind:
Identification and normalisation provide a strong basis for then feeling safe enough to start being able to rest the mind, and let all feelings fly on by.
Ziji Rinpoche gives specific instruction to children on how to practice the nature of mind in the book ‘Rest is Best’.
This approach comes from a very old lineage of teachings passed down from one teacher to another! ‘Even when I have big feelings, or small feelings, resting my mind is the very best way to be kind to myself’
‘I can always feel happy when I rest my mind. When I rest my mind, it feels big as the sky! Then my feelings fly on by, like a bird in the sky.’
4️⃣ 🕊Getting to know the true nature of feelings through metaphor:
When children start practicing the nature of mind they inquire like a scientist what is their experience made of! Do thoughts and feelings really fly on by like a bird in the sky?
By checking in and seeing for themselves, they gain confidence in knowing themselves as stable and clear; just like their sky-like mind, always open and clear, whilst thoughts and feelings effortlessly fly on by!
Find the book ‘Rest is Best’ in ebook, paperback, or hardback in our bookstore here
or browse your local amazon store and search for Rest is Best by Ziji Rinpoche to order it there!
Frequently bought together: the two latest books of the BeginningMind series - Find Mind, an introduction to meditation and Rest is Best! - normalising feelings and teaching self love and compassion through the nature of mind