Becoming Your Breath

For translation into Hebrew click here…



Our divine breath is something magical. It effects all in us, but also around us.
Especially with children it is an amazing thing, because they still have a fresh memory of their divine breath that started from the moment that they were born as a baby. Besides that, young children are very experience focused and not very mind focused as many adults are. So in general they did not create such big walls yet, that keep them from feeling the now moment.

To be short… I work as teacher in kindergarten with children from 1,5 years until 6.
I breathe before I work, I breathe during my work, I breathe after I work. I consciously invite my essence to fully participate with me in my job and that creates miracles. I play with them and in between them with an open heart and we enjoy each other very much. And when a child is afraid, hurt or it is just waking up I nurture them with my soul’s breath.

What happens is that they feel this compassionate breath and they start to feel safe and respected.
After feeling this for a while, they easily get used to staying at the kindergarten instead of at home.
They feel invited to open up and to just be who they are and that encourages them to explore their world. Besides that I can see a sense of trust growing within them, so when something happens that is emotionally challenging for them, that’s only for a very short period of time.



An example of a child that showed autistic behaviour

A young girl of about 1,5 years old joined the kindergarten and it was clear that she had a tough time with adjusting to her new environment. To give herself a trance-like safe feeling, she kept rocking herself in crawling position, hitting her body against the floor repeatedly. I am not an expert in autism, but I did know this was a clear sign. So I approached her and started playing next to her, showing her some toys, but at first she insisted to keep rocking. If I would pick her up or do anything that got her out of her rocking, she started to cry. So a little and easy step for her was to put her in the swing, in between other children. Still if anyone would lift her up, she would cry and if she was left alone, she would directly start her rocking movements again. So I decided to pay extra attention to her and to really breathe with her.
I was swinging her and she enjoyed that and then I decided to take her out of the swing to do something different. While I took her out, I was breathing compassion over her and I made sure that I told her what we were going to do. I told her we are going to the sandbox to play together. She cried a bit, but when we arrived in the sandbox and I let her feel the sand on her feet and her arms, she really started to enjoy it! We played in the sand, other children passed by to have a look at us, or to join us and she felt safe all the time, while I was playing and breathing with her. She progressed a lot, but still it would be easy for her
to go back to her movements if she was left alone.

So one morning I was talking to the head of the kindergarten, while she was sitting on the floor in between us, gently rocking herself this time. And while we were talking I felt how this girls’ soul and my soul started to communicate. I did not hear specific words, but I clearly felt how energies expanded and I knew this was a next step. The next days we expanded more and more with playing, sometimes in the sandbox, she would love to feel the sand on her body and a few other girls came up to play with her as well. She got up and we played all together and at some moment she stood up, reached her arms in the air and called her name out loud a few times! She was so proud of what she had just experienced,
that in her own way she proclaimed her victory.

Now the only challenge that was left was falling asleep at the kindergarten in the afternoon.
I talked to the head of the school and explained her that this was all about feeling safe enough.
So the next day I picked her up from the swing, as she was tired and while she cried for a few seconds I told her I am going to bring you to bed! So I went with her, I laid her down on her mattress and gave her a bottle of milk. Meanwhile I kept breathing over her. Then I put the blanket over her arms stroked her head gently. I told her how amazing she was doing and that I loved her and she fell asleep.
Since that day she has her nap, just as any other child of her age in the kindergarten.

In 3 weeks time she shifted, from being a little girl who was scared and who continuously kept herself in her trance like autistic movements in order not to feel what was happening around her, into a very happy girl who loves to play together. She is present in the moment and she is not using her movements anymore. When I look at her eyes I can see a difference between her and other children, as she has consciously chosen to be present. This is what the breath of our soul does…
She creates such a sweet invitation, such a safe space filled with compassion that others will feel
inspired to be who they really are.

One of the most remarkable things was that in that same school there was a therapist who was specialized in autistic children and he had stated that this girl was fully shut down to her mother, based on his behaviour studies. That same day I intuitively told this mother not to worry and not to listen to what others say is wrong with her child, but to trust her natural instincts with her child, not knowing that this would happen in a few weeks.

A few times I shared with this therapist that forcing a child to be normal or to be present like others does not work. It pushes somebody only deeper in their mind. I stated that a real invitation to be present can only be an invitation of compassion and unconditional love, as I know from my life experience this is the only way to calm down the mind and start to feel safe enough, to be who you really are.

This experience and many others have inspired me so much that I am going to start now
with guidance for children individually (at first) and their parents and teachers.



If you want to know more about my guidance for children, you are welcome to contact me
by clicking on this link.

I can provide you with workhops, individual sessions and lectures, especially made for children, parents, school teachers and therapists, who are willing to discover this new way of soul breath and compassion.




Author: Erno van Doesselaar
Date: July 2011

© Copyrights 2011 tekst & photos by Erno van Doesselaar
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