abc NEWS
By LIZ NEPORENT (@lizzyfit)May 21, 2013
The words "zen" and "child" don't exactly go together, but that hasn't stopped a growing number of parents from "ohm schooling" their kids in the art of yoga, meditation and relaxation.
Andrew Kelly of Boston said he and his 10-year-old son, Hayden, have been meditating together since Hayden was 7 years old. Each morning before school, father and son sit on cushions, legs crossed, eyes closed, quietly monitoring the rise and fall of their chests as they breathe.
"We do this for exactly 12 minutes because 12 is his favorite number," Kelly explained.Kelly said they practice "mindfulness" -- a series of meditation techniques that slow the mind and fix attention on the present. The brain chills out, slows down and focuses on what is happening at the moment.
Teaching meditation to children has attracted some high-profile advocates. Perhaps the highest-profile children's meditation advocate is actress Goldie Hawn, whose MindUp program has shown more than 150,000 children worldwide how to find their brain's happy place.
"We teach the kids to take brain breaks, because every brain needs a break, and because we know that meditation builds a stronger brain," Hawn told ABCNews.com "We start them on these mindfulness and relaxation techniques very young so they can carry them their entire lives."