The winter months can be hard. Short days and long nights leave us longing for more sunlight. Cold temperatures chill our bodies and chase us inside. What some experience as the most wonderful time of the year may feel bleak and barren to others. There’s even a specific diagnosis for winter depression: SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
SAD can affect children as well as adults. Some researchers think that it is a form of human hibernation, like bears who sleep through the winter. But since kids (and their caregivers) can’t just crawl into a cave for five months, we need other solutions. Light boxes may bring some relief. So might meditation.
Listen to the podcast with children and explore the energizing power of light with this affirming meditation.
Transcript
Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. (pause)
Breathe in slowly through your nose (breathe in), and out through your mouth. (breathe out)
Repeat: in through your nose (breathe in), out through your mouth. (breathe out)
Once more: in (breathe in), out. (breathe out)
Picture the sun beaming down on you. (pause)
Turn your face upward to catch its rays. (pause)
How do you feel as you imagine being bathed in light? (long pause)
Feel the heat as the sunlight touches your skin. (pause)
Let the sun’s warmth spread through your body, beginning with your head (pause) and moving downward
- through your shoulders, (pause)
- to your chest and belly, (pause)
- down your legs, (pause)
- and all the way to your toes. (pause)
How do you feel as you imagine the sun warming your body? (long pause)
Imagine that you can catch the sunlight in a bottle. (pause)
Once you capture it, the light changes. It begins to twinkle like a star. (pause)
Imagine hundreds of stars twinkling inside the bottle. (pause)
How do you feel as you watch the stars sparkle and glow? (long pause)
Imagine unscrewing the lid of the bottle. (pause)
Watch as the stars escape and fill the air, dancing and twirling around you. (pause)
How do you feel as you watch the stars dance? (long pause)
Hold out your hands and let the stars dance on your palms. (pause)
Close your fingers over the stars and pull them close to your body. (pause)
Imagine the stars floating into your body, filling you with light. (pause)
Feel the stars dancing inside you. (long pause)
Breathe in through your nose (breathe in) and out through your mouth. (breathe out)
In (breathe in), out. (breathe out)
In (breathe in), out. (breathe out)
Open your eyes and remember: you carry the light of the sun and the stars within you.
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