THE RADIANT CHILD

When my two children were born and for the first 7 years of their lives, my wife and I lived in an ashram. People have many ideas about ashrams. Most of them, I have found, are not very realistic. Ashram life is very confronting. The commitment of the people is to live a spiritual life. This challenges our ego which is reflected back to us from the people around us. This is both a pain and a blessing. The amount of the blessing is directly related to the how much we accept responsibility for our feelings and not blame the other person.

Within this frame the ashram offers a unique opportunity for the children to experience a more balanced and normal view of life. About one hundred years ago, children were raised by the whole community. Many adults were involved in helping a child learn and grow into a conscious adult. This is not the situation in our modern world where the children seem to learn more from television then from their parents. Of course all children learn by example and what they see is that you go to work, you come home late, you struggle to pay your bills, and you have a little time left for them. They grow up just like you.

Having a common set of values and participating together in daily prayer and meditation, gives the members of the ashram a common language in teaching the children. For instance the Kundalini Yoga ashram I lived in had a daily sadhana (spiritual discipline) which began at 4.30 and ended at 7.30 every day. The young children were often present, although they were usually sleeping. We were all vegetarians and did not drink alcohol or smoke anything. There were other common themes, but the point is that the children had a consistent message that was lived and taught. This gave them stability and promoted self-confidence.

When my wife and I wanted a night out, there were at least five other families that we could call to watch our kids. We would watch their kids on other nights. The parents took turns volunteering one day a week to pick up the children after school and to create a learning event for them. I did enjoy this challenge when it was my turn.

The time of living in ashrams is part of the past, an evolution in our spiritual awakening in the west, but as much as possible we can offer this ashram type experience to our children. In its modern form, the ashram it is called a community.

Teaching yoga to children is part of this bridge to connect to our soul and destiny. Through the yoga, children can have the inner experience of who they are, what they are capable of, and what brings them joy in life. It often surprises adults how deeply children can go into a meditation. How a child of five can sit in silence.

The children appreciate what we do that expands and enriches their understanding of themselves and the world they live in. One of the very first songs that the children learn in the yoga classes has the words, “all things come from God, all things go to God.”. With this attitude children can learn to better understand the nature of spirit as it manifests in this material world. Our future depends on how well we connect the children to the world of spirit!

Like any endeavor that is worth doing, teaching children also takes effort, planning, sacrifice and hard work. It is a joy and a privilege to be given the chance to teach children yoga and meditation, for these are the skills that will help them be better human beings.

Gurumarka Singh Khalsa

Heidelberg