“Does anyone know the meaning of Shanthi?” asks Ashok, the Director, to a group of elementary school kids who have just finished reciting a verse (or Mantra) from ancient India.  This is the Bala Vihar class, founded by the Pacific Meditation Center, a group that meets every Saturday morning, to experience the peace and serenity of ancient chants, yoga and music.

At an age where a group of kids is rarely seen so quiet and peaceful, this group of mixed-age children experience a taste of meditation, music, yoga and ancient tales in an oasis of peace and serenity, created by this dedicated group from the Pacific Meditation Center.  From the moment they enter the room, the children experience a sense of calmness, in the voice of their teacher and the expectations for the duration of the class. The kids participate in chants, ask questions about an ancient tale, perform slokas for the class, meditate and sing.

While we continually strive to equip our next generation to face the challenges of their future, perhaps our kids need the early education to bring their mind and body to a state of peace and relaxation as needed. I hope that more kids join and experience this unique program. Thank you, for creating this class, so our kids can learn to experience their Inner Being through a chant, meditation or a yogasana.

Pramila Srinivasan.

I have had the joy and privilege to be a teacher on the Bala Vihar staff as the kid’s yoga instructor. My name is Savitri and I have been doing yoga and meditating for about 8 years (3 on my own and 5 as a member of the Shambhava Yoga community). I find so much bliss in teaching, particularly children.  Adults tend not to see yoga as a meditative activity.  For many adults, yoga is synonymous with that dreaded activity . . . exercise.  While it is true that yoga is a great workout that can give you toned abs and thighs, the atmosphere in most classes is entirely centered on the outer experience, as opposed to the inner experience.

The Shambhava Yoga lineage teaches that traditional hatha yoga was designed not simply to create a strong body but more importantly to be used as tool to facilitate the meditative process.  We are teaching the children in the Bala Vihar classes that yoga and meditation are very much one in the same.  The process of going inside and focusing on a deeper level is first introduced to the children in the mediation instruction. The technique is encouraged and applied in the yoga instruction as an integral part of the asana (pose).

Ultimately the goal with yoga as a meditative exercise is to teach the mind how to maintain an inner focus while the body is engaged in outward activities.  The value in this is extraordinary because we do not live our lives on the meditation pillow, but are ourselves engaged in a variety of activities throughout our day.

Yoga is just one aspect of the Bala Vihar curriculum designed to teach children the tools to help them grow-up strong, centered, and fulfilled inside and out.