This moving meditation is to help children visualize the practice of rooting in order to rise. We root to ground, to find strength. We rise as we become heartful, kind to ourselves, others and the world around us. 

If we rise without rooting, we lose our capacity to be firm and our ability to be fearless as we expand. If we simply root, we never know the expansive possibilities of our human experience. Along our center is the guide that holds us and contains us wholly. This is the practice.

Stand Grounded, Breath Rising

Stand feet slightly apart, firmly grounded into the earth. Notice your toes slightly apart, the edges of your feet rooting into the ground. Palms facing out, tall spine. As you breathe in, feel the breath rising from your feet, chins, knees, hips, all the way up your spine to the crown of your head. Slowly breathe out. Repeat the breath three times. 

Breathe, Stretch, Bend with Gratitude

Breathe in and reach your arms out wide, stretching your fingers apart. Slowly lift your arms above your head, palms touching. As you breathe out, take your arms apart outward in a wide circle from your body, and bend all the way down until your hands touch the ground. You can bend your knees if you need to. Take the palms on the ground, patting the earth, feeling the earth and thanking the earth.  

Rise with Strength

As you rise, and pull up the earth’s energy, let your head and arms hang heavy. Slowly lift up, one vertebrae at a time. Take arms wide out from your body, reach all the way above your head, palms touching. Take your palms together at heart center and say “I am strong.”  

Repeat, Affirm, Find Peace

Repeat the movement again, changing the affirmation each time. Alternate between a grounding affirmation — “I am courageous. I am brave. I am firm” — and a heartful affirmation — “I am love. I am kind. I am beautiful.“
When the movements are complete, stand up tall with palms at heart center and together say: “I am peace. I am peace. I am peace.”