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Healing Breath: A Guided Meditation through Nature for Kids
Written by William Meyer
Illustrated by Brittany R. Jacobs
Mr. Meyer wrote this book to help children release anxiety in general and more specifically about the condition of the planet through meditation. The illustrations are colorful and calming and they bring the author’s words to life. I would suggest that this book be presented to children during the elementary years, as these are the years of great imagination. They will need to use their great imaginations to picture the ideas and places in the meditation. They will also need to have had enough life experiences to use as a basis for this imagining.
If I were going to present this meditation to students or to one of my own children, I would definitely start them off with a shorter meditation or with practicing the Silence Game that we often use in Montessori schools. Depending on their comfort and skill levels, I would read the book aloud with children or let them read it to me. Seeing the illustrations and hearing the words will help children imagine the scenes when they actually go to meditation, close their eyes, and visualize the scenes the author describes.
I would also read the author’s words out loud, alone, before leading the meditation with children. Practicing this way will help me become familiar with the language, set my tone of voice, and determine the pace of reading.
This is a beautiful meditation and I think that elementary children will relax and enjoy this quieting practice.
