#31, 2006

This is a beautiful book for introducing children to the idea of conscious breathing. It was written by a Buddhist monk, inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, and it's a short, read-aloud book which encourages children to focus on their breathing while listening to the words. It's not an actual story - it's more a long poem about breathing, and about enjoying the beauty in the world and the people in our lives. I read it to C's class at the beginning of one of our yoga sessions together, and it seemed to put them in a lovely frame of mind for the class - they were peaceful and more calm and centered than I'd ever seen them. I can only assume that the book at least helped to create this beautiful mood.

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