Today is May 7th and we are blessed with the presence of four beautiful children, ages 6 to 10 years, in the SRV San Francisco ashram. The children's class on spirituality will be centered on the aspect of God as Mother. Respect of Mother, Love of Mother -- the Mother of the Universe! It is an auspicious teaching all in its own, for after all tomorrow is Mother’s Day.
Over the last few years in our SRV Sangha there have been discussions on the need for a "rite of passage" for our youth. What this means to us, Vedantically, and in America at this time, continues to develop. Now, as the second wave of SRV children enter adolescence, and a younger set is on the way, we are striving to bring this into manifestation. Here are a few details that are starting to emerge:
The highlight of last winter's pilgrimage to India for me, without a doubt, was being in the company of three of our SRV teens, Marleigh, Logan, and Adam. What wonderful conversations and classes we had on Vivekananda, the yamas and niyamas of Yoga, the nature of the Self, embodiment and the world. How fascinating to see India through their sense of adventure and openness.
Asana/Meditation Pose - Meditation with Guruji
We have taken into practice a meditation asana at the beginning of each class. Through this practice the children begin to become more familiar with the pose and become more comfortable within the pose. Three eager faces are looking toward me as I begin to explain and demonstrate: "Please sit with legs crossed one over each other, back straight, eyes gently closed, tail bone curled in, neck pushed slightly back, chin slanted towards chest, tongue resting on the roof of the mouth, hands resting in lap one over the other with palms facing upward as if cupping a pool of water." Sebastian wants his hands resting on his knees with thumb touching and meeting middle finger.
Oregon Kids Class
Last summer, Babaji set out a guideline for what our young teens should be learning. His list included the following charts, leaving it up to the kids' acharya to draw teachings from them in a suitable manner.
Here is a brief description of the charts and some explanation behind these choices, which will probably be useful for adults too:
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