Diary Of A Trade Show

This past weekend, New Age Teacher® had the opportunity to host a booth at another trade show happening in Toronto.  This time around, I had the privilege of working alongside friends from Yogi Frogz and Love Speaks, at the Toronto Babytime Show.  With every new show come a new audience, new connections and a ton of new learning along the way!

When all of the hustle and bustle is through, it is always nice to sit back and reflect on my observations from the show and on that learning that I just previously spoke of.

Not only did I learn more fun and amazing kid’s yoga moves from my two booth partners (so much FUN!), but I also learned more about the human condition.  Observing others and connecting with new people on a daily basis is what fuels my self-development and personal growth and what helps me to improve my craft with New Age Teacher.

So, thank you to everyone who visited our booth over the weekend and said hello, asked questions, and even challenged me to explain meditation and mindfulness in angles that I had not previously explored.

There was one statement in particular, made on more than one occasion that really stayed with me beyond the show.

The statement was this:

“Oh, my child could never meditate.  He/she is way too hyper/active/nuts to do that!!”

~(or something to that effect – with either a look of disbelief, amusement, or disdain)~

Now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it is not my interest, nor is it in my nature to judge that opinion.  However, it is in my highest good as New Age Teacher, to both examine and allow this statement to help me improve my offerings about mindfulness.

I have three thoughts that follow this statement (and bear with me, as the first two may seem more reactionary and judgemental than intended…but read on 😉

I’ll repeat the statement:

“Oh, my child could never meditate.  He/she is way too hyper/active/nuts to do that!”

• Immediate reaction – that’s kind of the point! Meditation is supposed to help children settle down at times, and to help them find their place of calm and center.  Even the most rambunctious of individuals can find that place within them.  It is not necessary to take away from that child’s innate spirit, rather, to give them the tools needed to lower energy in certain times and situations.  To which I had to remind myself that not everyone has had the privilege of learning the benefits of meditation.  I have often said that for children to learn the benefits, it is essential for parents to learn and gain from them first.  As a result, New Age Teacher continues to be reminded of the importance of helping parents, grandparents, babysitters, teachers etc. help themselves first, so that in turn they can provide that guidance and understanding to their young ones.

• Middle reaction (still somewhat reactionary) – you’re deciding for your children, what they can and cannot do! As adults, present in the lives of little ones, it is easy to fall into knowing what’s best for a child because they are younger.  However, deciding on behalf of our child what it is they can and cannot do, is a true disservice to that little soul.  In fact, deciding that a child is incapable of something is called a limiting belief.  We all have limiting beliefs that surface throughout our lives, but projecting our own onto our kids will be detrimental down the line.  In order for us to be truly present, to manifest our desires and to achieve all that is possible in this great life, we have to clear our mind of limiting beliefs that inhibit us from reaching our potential.  The more we influence our young minds with our own limiting beliefs, the more those young minds will have stacked against them from an early age.  Those limiting thought patterns will eventually need to be cleared from the subconscious before succeeding at any number of things.  Besides, meditation is not mastered in one sitting.  It is a practice to be refined, altered, and shaped – like most new skills we attempt in life.

• Final reflection (moving away from my reactions and putting into use what was learned) – more education is required in the field of mindfulness! That really is the bottom line.  More than ever following this trade show, I feel driven and passionate to share my knowledge about the power of mindfulness in today’s society.  Heck, it’s a gift that not everyone has jumped on board as of yet, or New Age Teacher and her teachings, would be a thing of the past 😉  I am so happy to share my knowledge with others and to help shed some light on the possibilities that exist within the mind and the capabilities that exist within the child.  Knowledge is power and I gained a bit of both this past weekend.

So as always, thank you to my readers and also to those new faces that I connected with this past weekend, who may also now be reading this post.  These interactions do not go unnoticed.  Each of you holds a special place in my heart as I learn and grow from you and it is all of you that help me to bring New Age Teachings to the world.