ABC: Bible Meditation for Me!: L is for Lift Up, L Is for Lotus

ABC: Bible Meditation for Me!  Bible Meditation Vs. Eastern Meditation

L Is for Lift Up/ L Is for Lotus

Introduction:  This lesson is part of an ABC series of twenty-six lessons for parents, grandparents, kids, and teachers.  Please share with others especially those who homeschool.  

L Is for Lift Up

L is for lift up,
H is for hands,
That I can lift up
To God's commands.

I Can Meditate the Bible Way!

I can meditate the Bible way,
any time, any day,
I don't have to sit just right,
nor close my eyes up real tight.
Not at all!  For its God's words
that I recall-- to think about them!
                                               LEP

Meditating the Bible Way

When we meditate on God's word we don't need to have a fixed position, or pose.  We can sit, stand, walk, or even lie down.  We can lift our hands, or close our eyes if we want, and use our minds to think a lot about God's word.

A Psalm 119:48 Meditation Verse

"My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statues."   Find this verse in your Bible, and make an "M" beside it for "Meditation."

"Lift Up My Hands to Thy Commands"

Draw two hands; cut them out.  Overlap thumbs a bit; tape or glue.  Print Ps.119:48 on card.   Stick verse in between fingers; tape.  Hang it up. Think about your verse.

The Eastern Way

Focus on Lotus

L Is for Lotus

L is for lotus,
A kind of a flower,
That's said to bring
enlightening power.

L is for lotus,
A position you'll find
people sitting in
while clearing their
mind.

Signs of the Times

Not long ago I passed a shop with a Lotus flower logo and name--"The Lotus Nail Salon."  Nearby at a T.J. Maxx store I spied three shelves of Buddhas sitting in the lotus position.  At still another store I saw sloth figures sitting lotus on a top shelf.  Have you seen a Lotus flower logo or someone sitting lotus?  What signs of the times have you noticed? 

The Lotus Flower

The lotus is a Buddhist/Hindu sacred flower said to have special powers.  It begins as a little seed way down in muddy waters and rises up to become a lovely flower.   Gregoire A. Hodder wrote a  clever picture book for little ones titled The Little Lotus Flower.   Parents take a look at this on line at Amazon.com under "Look inside!"

The Lotus Flower
and the Gods

In "Lotus Flowers Meaning and Symbolisms" e.g. in Hinduism the lotus is linked to many of its gods and goddesses.  The goddess of prosperity, Laxmi, is often shown seated atop a fully opened lotus flower.  Brahma, the god of creation, is shown emerging from a lotus flower coming out of the belly of the sustainer Lord Vishnu.  For more read: https://www.lotusflowermeaning.net/

The Lotus Mudra

The article "Mudras for Children" explains "Mudras are symbols made with the hands that tune us into the subtle energies of the body."  To form a Lotus Mudra or Padma Mudra one presses together the base of the hands, the pinky fingers and the thumbs together.  The index, middle, and ring fingers then extend outward to stand for the lotus petals. It's said this mudra helps one release and accept kindness.  Besides, it is said to calm and ground a person.  Kids are told to imagine a light or kind thoughts coming out of the center of their hands.  Readers, realize any of these "mudras" or "finger yoga poses" aren't similar to moving one's hands to a cute little rhyme but rather are spiritual in nature.  Talk with your child about them.
*https://beginnersmindresources.com/blogs/news/mudras-for-children
 
The Lotus Pose
In yoga the lotus pose Padmasana is very difficult, so grownups and kids often do an easy pose called the Sukhasana.   If you look at old pictures of ancient yogis you will often see them doing the Sukhasana.  When people sit lotus they practice breathing exercises called pranayama. 

Criss-Cross Apple Sauce

Have you ever been asked to cross your legs and sit "criss-cross applesauce?"  Is this the same as the lotus pose?  No!  The lotus pose has special ways to tuck in your toes. When you do criss-cross applesauce, no one asks you to breathe a special way or fix your fingers in a mudra.     

The Lotus Way

When one wants to meditate
folks are told to sit up straight,
cross their legs the lotus way,
fix one's fingers in a pose,
inhale n' exhale through the nose
keeping every thought away
so one's world will be o.k.--calm!
                                               LEP
Meditation like this will not calm our world.  Remember Jesus' words when he said, "... my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.," John 14:27  

Parental Suggestions:

Pigs Sitting Lotus

Peaceful Piggy Meditations (2004) by Kerry Lee Maclean is a picture book worth reviewing.  Find it on You Tube read aloud books and Amazon Books.com.  In it you'll view two piggy siblings that are always in a hurry, fighting, or upset.  So the pigs are taught to meditate. See pigs sitting lotus throughout the book. 

Learn more about the Lotus Mudra here:  http://saltspringmalas.com/lotus-mudra/