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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 08 Oct 2011
Time: 07:20:04 -0500
Remote Name: 205.188.116.9
[[Your article acknowledges the difficulty and level of commitment required for mindfulness, which makes me think maturation is an important factor. At what age would you suggest a person who stutters begins practicing mindfulness?]] >>> Hello, Amanda, nice to meet you and thanks for coming forward with a question that may be shared by others, especially parents and those who work with young people, and even young people themselves who may be dropping into this Conference. >>> I wrote about my experience practicing insight mediation as an adult, but I really did not begin meditating as an adult. I was very sick as a child and forced to endure social isolation for other reasons. When I was quite young, I engaged in meditation during those stark and trying times to understand myself and others, although I did not know then that what I was doing was meditating. I was simply trying to understand what was going on and why. >>> I think most children, especially in these uncertain and challenging times, do so as well and with skillful guidance can use the experience to become more calm, focused, and joyful. That is what Thich Nhat Hanh, esteemed teacher of meditation, shares in his book "A Pebble for Your Pocket." In it he describes ways to teach young people to breath and walk mindfully, skillfully manage their anger, and more based on his experiences teaching young children who visit Plum Village, a community of nuns, monks, and lay people in the south of France, where he himself resides when he is not away teaching. >>> Others, too, have been reporting on their experience teaching young people to meditate to calm and focus their minds. A book by C. Willard,,"Child’s Mind. How Mindfulness Can Help Our Children Be More Calm, Focused, and Relaxed," published in 2010 by Parallax Press, may be of interest. And then, there is the growing interest in and implementation of contemplative education that begain as a way to educate adults, particularly college students, that is now being adopted for use with younger people. >>> So, Amanda, while the approach to practicing shamatha-vipassana does involve considerable self-motivation and discipline and may not be accessible to the majority of young people, this is not the only way for young people to practice mindfulness to enrich their lives. >>> Regards, Ellen-Marie Silverman