The monthly Sati Pasala program at the Dhamma Sarana Vihara (Melbourne, Australia) was held on 21 December 2019, with the participation of about thirty-three children. Following the preliminary instructions, the session started with the first segment on ‘Understanding mindfulness’. A short video clip reminded how busy we are in our daily life and highlighted the importance of cultivating calmness in mind enabling beautiful qualities to arise. How to facilitate the development of calmness in mind was discussed emphasizing the importance of practising mindful walking, sitting, and doing other daily activities mindfully. The discussion based on the topic chosen for the month ‘Just like riding a bike’ highlighted the factors that are vital to the practice. An interactive demonstration by a facilitator helped newcomers to become familiar with the mindful sitting and walking practice. Click here to access the full ‘S1 Understanding mindfulness’ segment, relevant slides and the Session Note.
The children above 8 years practised mindful walking outdoors, while the 8& Under age group and newcomers practised mindful walking indoors with guidance. Next, all groups participated in a mindful sitting session. Click here to access the guidance used. Afterwards, the children had the opportunity to share their mindful walking and sitting experiences and receive further guidance from facilitators.
In the mindful game, the children had to use an increased awareness for balancing and coordinating to be successful in ‘Passing a bowl of water’. In the discussion afterwards, the children shared their experiences during the mindful activity Click here to access mindful activity. Finally, the children watched the mindful showering video clip, as an example of how to do a day-to-day activity mindfully.
