As a teacher for many years I know that many children find it difficult to settle down into prayer. These slow and gentle Christian, mindful exercises do just that. They can be enjoyed by primary children from 4 years old plus, and they are incredibly versatile. A teacher can use them to calm children down at the beginning of a class, or before prayer time. Unlike mindfulness exercises such as Yoga and Tai Chi which are founded in Eastern religions, each movement is founded on Christian theology, with each exercise having a Christian name which teachers can use to start conversations about important Christian concepts. These exercises are designed to use by all teachers. From Sunday school teachers to Primary School teachers, from a parent going through them with their own child to large classes of children. We’ve supplied the names and movements, and it’s the teacher who supplies the children with the understanding. So the exercises are designed to be inter denominational.
Just as God made the world in seven days, there are six different exercises which leads children into resting in prayer in the seventh. The first move of the sequence is Flying Dove, where the children move their arms like a dove in flight. Children have a natural capacity to mime different animals, and this exercise uses this God given ability to focus on moving like a Dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. This, of course can lead the children onto discussions with the teacher about the Holy Spirit as a dove, Noah’s Ark, Jesus’s baptism etc. You’ll notice how the slowness and gentleness of the move has a very calming effect on the children, uniting mind, body and spirit. Just like the whole sequence, each exercise is done six times, with the children resting in prayer, with their palms together, before going onto the next exercise. This is the same exercise as in the adult beginners routine.
The second one is On The Cross. On the physical level, while in the first exercise the children raise their arms up and down, here the children move their arms sideways, making the sign of the cross. You’ll notice that each movement is like a yawn, which releases different muscle groups and allows deeper breathing, which naturally reduces stress, calms the nervous system, and so prepares children for prayer. It can lead the children onto questions about who Jesus was, the story of the crucifixion, Resurrection and eternal life etc. Again it’s the same as the adult beginners sequence.
The next one is Footsteps, named after the very famous poem Footprints in the Sand. While the first exercise concerns God and the Holy Spirit, the second concerns Jesus, here we have a move to do with the children’s relationship with Jesus, of walking with Him. This slow walking exercise is very grounding and you’ll find that it is at this time that you’ll see a physical and psychological effect in the children as they slow down and enter the prayerful state.
The next exercise is Mary and Child. Here the children imagine holding the baby Jesus in their arms, the upper hand holding the baby to their chests, and the other hand lower down, supporting the baby Jesus. Many of the children will have baby brothers and sisters, and so this move is in many children’s life experiences. This leads onto the next one, the Boy Jesus in the Temple. The move comes from the boy Jesus turning left and right, raising his arms in gestures of asking the Temple teachers questions. Again, this relates to the children’s life experiences. This again can lead the children into discussions about Jesus’s life 2000 years ago, Jesus as fully human, the Church, both temporal and spiritual.
This then leads onto the sixth and final moving exercise, St Michael's Shines in Glory. In this exercise the children circle their arms like having the wings of this great archangel. This movement again can lead the children into discussions about angels, St Michael as their angelic protector, and help them to be brave when they are afraid.
Just as God made the seventh day a day of rest, so, after preparing the children through the six moving exercises, it is now the time for the children to rest in prayer. Under the teacher’s guidance you’ll find the children are much more receptive to enter into the stillness of prayer. The silent prayer finishes with the Lord’s prayer, and which also concludes the whole sequence.
Of course, teachers need to learn the movements before they can teach it. It would be far too easy for a teacher to stand up in front of a class, wave their arms round wildly, and then be surprised when the exercises don’t have any effect. The first step to come a Living Water Exercise teacher is to learn the moves by practicing the moves on this video each day until you know them by heart. Use this video, and the others on the YouTube channel. Then, when you feel ready, we hold free special one day online courses on zoom which can give you are certificate for teaching children Living Water Exercises.
