Mindfulness is the ability to be in the present moment, without judgment, with openness and kindness towards the experience of this very moment. It is the ability that allows you not to feel devoured by an emotional whirlwind, nor by a spiral of negative thoughts. It facilitates being, feeling and regulating oneself in the ‘here and now’. His practice is a resource loaded with multiple benefits and that, in addition, you can do as a family.

Building a ‘mindful’ family will create the balance necessary to surf the big and small waves that motherhood and fatherhood offers every day. But, it is important to remember that children learn more by what they see than by what they hear. Therefore, the personal practice of the elderly will be one of the fundamental pillars so that they too start in it and find their own motivation. 

Mindfulness games for families

Already started on this ‘mindful’ adventure, there are many games to turn daily routines into moments of encounter, recognition, balance and learning. 

Mindfulness games
  • Create a ‘meditation hut’. That special place to meet to share and establish rituals and daily habits of belonging, facts that will promote the feeling of security and stability.
  • Start and end the day with a ‘silence bath’: To do this, you need to turn off the TV and screens and focus on feeling only your conscious breathing. The ‘bath’ will be 20 or 60 seconds, depending on the age of the minor, and will increase. When you get up in the morning you are more relaxed, so I recommend starting the day with a deep breathing ‘bath’. It simply consists of paying attention to the movement of the breath in the body. It can help the touch of the hands on the belly, on the chest or each one in one of these places.
  • Take ‘mindful walks’. Daily family trips become an opportunity for informal mindfulness practice. Holding them by the hand will allow them to perceive the stability of their mother or father and their calm and safe rhythm. And, in addition, it allows teaching them to maintain an attentive and curious attitude. Thus, it is possible to discover on the same route each day all the differences that exist in it today or details that you had not noticed. Cultivating curiosity, openness and attention to the present moment every day will be a fascinating training for the mind.
  • Practice gratitude with the game ‘thank you life’. It’s about gently closing your eyes, taking some conscious breaths until you feel calm and mindful of the present moment. It is then when you look for three positive things that have happened in the day. The table before dinner, the meditation cabin or at the time of putting your daughter to bed are ideal places and moments. After the meditation, each one will share in a group the three most positive things of their day, what they liked the most.

To create a ‘mindful’ family and turn routines into games of conscious encounter is to offer children the full and calm presence that will fill them with the necessary resources to apply in their lives because, since we cannot choose what happens to us, yes we can choose how to live it. 

Cultivating a balanced climate in the family will bring multiple benefits for minors and adolescents. They will learn to live fully and turn each moment into wonderful shared moments. Growing up as a family is the best safe and reliable place to continue growing with love.