Disclaimer: Heartfulness meditation is only recommended after 15 years of age. Younger teenagers are encouraged to practice and benefit from the Heartfulness relaxation technique.
What’ve teenagers got to do with meditation?
Well, statistics reveal the cold, hard truths. For example, in the 2018 American Psychological Association (APA) survey, teens reported worse mental health and higher levels of anxiety and depression than all other age groups.
More recently, the pandemic has brought forth its own set of troubles for teens with their schools closed, activities taken online, and limited contact with peer groups. So naturally, these are trying times for any teenager.
To cope with the times, meditation is one of the greatest methods that may come in handy. It helps them to focus more on the present and disengages them from distracting thoughts.
If you are a parent reading the post, we’ve listed down some of the sure-shot benefits of how learning meditation can benefit your teenage children:
- Improved sleep – Frequent bouts of stress and anxiety often leads to insomnia, even for teenagers. Meditation, with its calming abilities, helps them gain quality sleep by relaxing their mind and body.
- Improved focus – With regular meditation practices, your teenager can learn to focus better on studies and various extra-curricular activities. The improved grades can subsequently help them increase their confidence levels as well.
- Rise in IQ – Meditation helps improve brain function across teenagers. It helps with creative thinking, boosting intelligence, and therefore, helps them see a rise in their IQ levels.
- Reduced depression and anxiety – Just like adults, teenagers undergoing depression and anxiety can also see a significant change once they start making meditation a habit.
To build the habit of meditation in young teens, you can also let them try some of the below techniques:
- Let them count to 10 – Number counting is one of the easiest to grasp and implement meditation practices for teens. Ask them to take deep breaths as they do the countdown from 1 to 10. And that’s it!
- Counting thoughts – Racing thoughts are the hallmarks of teenagers. And that’s okay. To help them curb their thoughts, ask them to relax, sit in a preferred position and count the number of thoughts for a few minutes. Then, equip them with seeds, balls, or even beads to help them count their thoughts. This helps reduce the number of thoughts that are going through their mind.
- Reverse counting – An age-old method, reverse counting from 100 to 1 is another way to help relieve stress for adolescents. It is known to work effectively for getting rid of tension headaches, back pains, neck pains, and sleep disturbances.
If you are a teenager reading this post, we have addressed some common queries for you:
- Does meditation mean I have to stop thinking? The mind is constantly thinking, and meditation is about bringing the focus back to the present moment. It is about following a track. With gradual practice, you become better at it with every passing day.
- How many hours of meditation do I need daily? You can start with small steps. If you are less than 15 years of age, you could practice simple calming and relaxation techniques. Once you are 15 years of age and willing to experience the benefits of meditation, you could start with 15 minutes a day, every day. Practice regularly using guided meditation, and eventually, you can increase the duration based on your comfort level. You can do it as often as you want!
- Is there an app for online meditation? Yes. You can get started with the Heartfulness App app, which offers some interesting guided meditation practices. Download the app for your iOS or Android device and try it for free.
Teenage years are one of the most beautiful times in our lives. So make the most of it by embracing meditation and see the difference!
