“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” -- Angela Schwindt

I am feeling so grateful for the magical afternoon that unfolded at yesterday's first Kindful Kids Circle in London, which was filled with so much joy, love and togetherness!

Planting Seeds, Whatever Grows Will Grow...

A few months ago, we planted seeds for a "family oriented" afternoon to practice kindness, which would hopefully be as inspiring, nourishing and joyful for parents as it would be for children of any age. Having never hosted a "family" circle before yesterday, Nilakshi and I were very open to emergence, not knowing if the children (or parents) :) would be shy to share stories or to get stuck in with acts of kindness in the streets, or if they would be quite open and forthcoming -- we proceeded without any expectations and simply an open heart to fully experience whatever unfolded.



What blossomed on Sunday was so beautiful in so many ways. As everyone arrived at our home, it was lovely to see most of the kids looking relaxed and at home when they met each other and then joined the circle. The ice breaker exercise of passing around a cup with a ball balancing on top was a fun combination of community, trust and mindfulness, as we did it with our eyes open the first time while introducing ourselves to each other and then did it with our eyes closed the next time after that! It was so sweet to see all of the children ranging in ages from 2-15 circle around the meditation bell together and sit quietly for 5-7 minutes as they took turns ringing the bell only after the sound had disappeared from the previous strike of the bell. It offered a few sacred minutes for the grown-ups also to sit in silence and tune into the present moment with full heart. The children watched on with genuine interest as one after the other acts of kindness rippled out during the Kindness Boomerang video we enjoyed together and then noted so many details in the circle of sharing that followed.



Ankita then opened our circle of sharing stories of acts of kindness we remember from our own lives with a childhood memory of her friend Jennifer, who started off as a pest and transformed into a dear friend as the spirit of kindness took over their friendship. It was so heart-warming to hear about all of the acts of kindness the children shared stories about in their lives, remembering moments from years ago and some from just days ago with such fondness and big smiles.

Spreading Kindness Together...

The highlight of the afternoon approached as we all split into two groups and made our way out in the local neighbourhood to share love! One group ventured out to spread smiles to passing by cars with a Kindness Flashmob on Vauxhall Bridge holding up big posters while sharing gifts with people crossing the roads. The other group strolled over to the local park to pay forward little gifts of chocolates, cupcakes, bubbles, stamps, homemade lemonade, red roses and more to families enjoying summer picnics in St George's Square while dazzling all the children in the park with amazing enormous bubbles, courtesy of Felicity's lovely kit :) The children were so natural and fearless at approaching others to share their love and kindness with them, and it was so clear to see how each act of kindness really energised and inspired them, keeping them wanting to do more! As both groups returned back home, there was such a beautiful buzz in the air as everyone shared stories and memorable moments from their afternoon adventures and this continued as we enjoyed refreshments together.



Memories from a Magical Afternoon...

We hope you enjoy this collection of photos from our afternoon together, which is filled with so many smiles and so much love :) Kindful Kids Circle - June 2018

As the gathering concluded and we all said our goodbyes, it filled my heart with so much love to hear majority of the parents share that both they and their children had a wonderful time and that their kids are already asking when they can come to the next gathering. :)