Tapestry of Faith: Love Connects Us: A Program on Living in Unitarian Universalist Covenant for Grades 4-5

Faith In Action: Teach Centering Exercises

Preparation for Activity

  • Arrange for the group to share meditation/centering exercises with another religious education group at your congregation, a children's chapel or other worship gathering at your congregation, or people at a family shelter or child care center outside the congregation.
  • Select exercises for the group to share. Plan ahead so you will be teaching the exercises in an appropriate space and obtain materials you may need for everyone to participate in the exercises.
  • Decide who will lead the exercises; you may wish to designate co-leader(s) for each exercise.

Description of Activity

Meditation/centering exercises can be helpful for both adults and participants, particularly in times of stress. This group can share their experience of meditation with your congregation by leading one or more exercises for another group in the religious education program or during a worship service. If your congregation has a relationship with a shelter for homeless families or survivors of domestic abuse, the children might bring a meditation experience to people open to new techniques for seeking calm and peace.

In addition to the walking and guided meditations presented in this session, you may wish to teach other simple exercises, such as listening intently for the sound of a chime as it dies away to complete silence, focusing on the flame of a candle or lighted chalice, or doing simple yoga poses.

Including All Participants

While some participants will likely volunteer to teach or lead a meditation exercise, joining the group of learners and modeling how to do the exercises is an equally valuable way to participate in this Faith in Action activity.