"I am a lawyer, a mother of twins, a writer, and the creator of the Instagram profile @mae_le_pra_mim. Children's literature is my great passion, and I created the profile to gather the books we love to read the most. Books are powerful allies in conversations with our little ones about feelings and how to control them, about being present in the moment, and learning to breathe before acting. In today's column, five books for children that talk about meditation, mindfulness, breathing, and yoga.
"After all, we cannot control what happens around us, but we can control our thoughts and attitudes."
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Je découvre la méditation
Author: Sophie Raynal
Illustrator: Aurélie Guillerey
Editor: Companhia das Letrinhas
This book aims to be a guide for children about meditation, explaining clearly the concept and benefits of the technique to little ones. Upon arriving in Japan, girl Gina meets the little wise man, who, through practical examples, explains the importance of being present and attentive to our feelings. The text opens the door to many questions and I find myself referring to the book in several interactions with my children (especially in moments of heightened feelings).
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Sitting Still like a Frog
Author: Eline Snel
Editor: Rocco
The text of this book is aimed at adults, but the meditation and mindfulness exercises that the work proposes were designed to be done with children. In a clear and accessible way, the author explains the concept of “mindfulness” – or simply feeling, accepting and living each moment as it is – and shows how this increasingly popular practice can help children become less agitated and more focused, sleeping better, relieving worries, anger and feeling more patient and aware.
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Breathing makes it better
Author: Christopher Willard
Illustrator: Wendy O’Leary
Editor: Caminho Suave
When you breathe, you are alive…And because you are alive, everything is possible. We all experience difficult days: we have unpleasant feelings, such as anger, fear, loneliness, sadness. This book teaches young children that breathing – something we do all the time, every day – has magical power and helps us deal with our feelings. The book also includes a guide with mindfulness techniques for young children, which help them walk the path to self-awareness.
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Breathe
Author and Illustrator: Inês Castel-Branco
Editor: Telos
“Mommy, I can’t sleep!” "Why?" “I don’t know… I’m nervous and my head keeps thinking, thinking and thinking…” “Do you want me to teach you how to breathe?” "Breathe? I already know how to breathe!” But have you ever stopped to see how you do it? Where the air comes in and out, whether you fill your belly or chest more, whether you do it slowly or quickly. This book shows how we can calm the mind through conscious breathing and simple exercises, for children and adults. As the author, mother of three, explains: the book “is an excuse to be together, to breathe together”.
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Aprendendo com os bichos: yoga para crianças
Author and Illustrator: Joãocaré
Editora: WMF Martins Fontes
In this book, the author brings together a basic yoga series and relates it to some animal movements. Beautiful and fun illustrations depict various animals in postures that children are invited to reproduce. By following the instructions, the child will learn a lot about animals and, above all, about their own body, their attitudes and their states of mind. I love opening the book with my children and following the poses we find there.
