Saturday, October 17, 2009

Seven Spirals: A Chakra Sutra for Kids



Seven Spirals: A Chakra Sutra for Kids is a picture book by two stay-at-home moms from Florida. It is designed to introduce children to the seven chakras of the body, by illustrating the principles of each through short stories. Each story is loosely connected to the next one, and features a group of children.

The first story, in which Tree explains human roots to young Rowan, is probably the easiest story to understand, as it is almost the most concrete of the seven spirals. The others will require much more thought, as they are increasingly abstract.

I think that the stories and concepts are a little too abstract for young readers, but older, elementary-aged children would be able to glean some understanding through conversation about each one. The authors include a glossary of sorts in the back, which can help adults explain the meaning of each. Conversation with children can include brainstorming other ways in which each spiral can be used.

Children of all ages will fall in love with the gorgeous, colorful illustrations accompanying each story. The youngest can learn the most about the seven chakras through the associated colors. Red is root, orange is sacral, yellow is navel, green is heart, blue is throat, indigo is forehead, and violet is crown. Make it more concrete by doing a life-sized body tracing, putting the colors in the appropriate locations, or by putting stickers directly on the child's body.

Also at the end of the book, following the glossary, is a paragraph explaining how to "tune up" the chakras by sitting cross-legged and breathing slowly to empty and calm the mind. This concept will be the easiest for the youngest children to understand, and can help lay the foundation for later chakra exploration.

Purchase Seven Spirals: A Chakra Sutra for Kids

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