The little boy with the really big worry.
Have you ever had the feeling that you’re part of something that’s a little bit of magic?
The air around you takes on an electric-feel, the hairs on your arms start to stand up, and your smile vibrates from the depths of your belly! For me, this tends to happen when I teach, and most powerfully when I teach children. Maybe it’s because their energy is vibrating higher and they haven’t developed the unfortunate temptation of caring too much about what other people think. Children embrace challenge and change with curiosity and charm, unlike any adult I know. They allow their spirit to shine out unapologetically even when outside their comfort zone and even though they may be struggling with an emotion they haven’t quite grasped yet.
It’s this charming open-mindedness which creates the story I’d like to share with you about a little boy and his really big worry.
Back in September, I was running a yoga and mindfulness event at a primary school. During each 30-minute workshop, I introduced the idea of wellbeing to 200 children aged between 4-11 years old. We talked about our emotions and how we feel, we discovered the power of affirmations and of our own magical breath. It’s probably best I point out that I am a spiritual-vibey person but don’t worry you don’t need to be it’s just best you know this now.
That morning I woke up super nervous even though I’d presented to adults throughout my entire career but the prospect of facing a school full of children was entirely different. Would they like what I had to share? Would they understand or would they just think I was a crazy lady with no shoes on? My biggest fear was whether I could teach the children, especially the youngest ones how to make sense of their emotions. I had the whole day planned out, each workshop adapted to the age of my audience to share simple ways to support their wellbeing using their breath, mindset and mindful movement, beyond that, I was pretty much guided by my instincts as words and movements flowed through me, and all that followed can only be described as pure magic.
At the end of every workshop, I was confronted by bundles of beaming children expressing their happiness at being able to keep their little tokens and affirmations from our time together. There were group hugs, high-fives and one little boy with a really big worry.
Joseph, (a real boy but not his real name) was worried and a little sad. His granddad was in the hospital and was very poorly. He was struggling with his sadness and wanted to ask my advice because we’d just finished our session on worries together. We recounted the things we learnt, the tools I’d shared and how to look for our happy thoughts. Joseph said how much he liked his little token from our breath practice and said it made him feel happy. When I asked if he remembered a time with his grandad that made him feel happy, a huge smile broke out across his little face. We’ll pause here to allow my heart to literally explode all over again with pure gratitude for this moment when little Joseph realised the power of his happy thoughts and lit-up like the most gorgeous ray of sunshine!
Later that afternoon a group of girls had surrounded me exclaiming how much they loved yoga when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a boy a few years older than Joseph asking to speak to me when everyone else had gone because he too had something he’d been worrying about; his grandad was sick in the hospital. I quickly realised Oliver was talking about the grandad he shared with Joseph as he continued to tell me how he had been feeling sad but he now felt a little happier realising he could think of happy memories with his grandad and feel less sad.
He clutched his breath token telling me how good it smelt (we used scent in our breathwork together) and thanked me! I hadn’t said a word yet so when he finished I thanked him for sharing his experience with me and asked if he had a brother. He smiled and pointed to the doorway of Joseph’s classroom. I told him how amazing it had been to meet him and his brother because Joseph had also told me he was also worried about their grandad. Oliver looked amazed so I let him know I thought they were both wonderfully lucky boys to have each other to talk to and look after. I gave him some extra tokens to pass onto his parents and siblings and off he went.
As the children left the hall and I cleared away my belongings I felt giddy from the experience, I knew the yoga, the physical movement would capture the children’s attention but I hadn’t anticipated quite how well they would receive the mindfulness aspect of the workshop.
All the children I spoke to after each session said they had felt happier and calmer but my conversations with Joseph and Oliver showed me the children had absorbed the mindfulness practices better than I could have imagined. Oliver, the older brother was able to tell to me what he had learnt and how it had made him feel. Although Joseph needed a little more encouragement to remember the tools I’d shared, both boys had an awareness of their emotions and felt comfortable talking about how they were feeling. What was truly amazing was how they had both learnt to better support themselves through a change of mindset.
The next day I heard from a friend that Joseph and Olivers had spent the evening writing letters of love and positivity to their grandad. They had even popped one of my scented tokens into the envelope and sent the letters off to the hospital, my heart was literally bursting with happiness! Who knows what other seeds are being planted for these children?
The goal is always the same no matter the age I teach; to share elements of yoga and tools to support our wellbeing in creative and accessible ways. Little did I know this experience would create such a deep sense of purpose and a renewed appreciation for the power of the mind, no matter the age of the individual it belongs to.
This is one of my most treasured memories, one I’ll never forget. The story of the little boy and his really big worry.
Big love + Namaste.