Magdalena’s MiniYoga for Children – Part 2

Maria Magdalena Bernales

SELF-DISCIPLINE or TAPA

         Hello everybody! We are so grateful to be with all of you again. In order to continue with the presentation of the Fivefold Path, we propose to review the second concept, Self-Discipline or Tapa. We hope that this content is of use to facilitate the teaching of this marvelous and invaluable ancient tool, adapted for the children of today.
I want to take this opportunity to thank and highlight the GREAT patience and kindness of our dear Master Shree Vasant, and for having had the privilege of receiving these teachings, His instructions and His guidance. We sincerely hope to be contributing and replicating as He would.
With all our love for all of you, MiniYogaChile

SELF-DISCIPLINE (Tapa):
 
Show the children the drawing and ask what they see in each one of the compartments. Are these things good or bad for us? To go to bed at bedtime, do my homework before playing, sharing, doing exercises and not to react when someone wants to fight with me.

We all know what is good for us and what is not.
Self-discipline is to practice what you know is good for you and stop doing what is not, always with good thoughts and feelings. Each one decides on what he/she has to improve and work on it on his/her own timing, making weekly commitments to achieve the desired changes. If I am able to keep a discipline for 3 whole months, I am able to change a habit.

         Examples: (try to act or tell a little story with each of the following suggestions)
• Do your homework before you watch TV.
• Control your anger even if your siblings or friends did something to upset you.
• Be happy when your friend could buy the toy (phone, clothes, book…) that you wanted and could not get. We can express our feelings without causing pain… control, not suppress.

• Let another person of your family eat the last piece of the cake that you wanted.
• Happily helping at home while your friends are playing all together.
• Stop a bad habit like biting your nails or stop eating candies or junk food that are not good for you.
• Not talking bad about someone, just so you can look better in front of others.

Self-discipline is to do the things that you know you have to do, before anyone tells or asks, always acting with respect for yourself and the others.
Let the children give you more examples and talk about how important it is to have discipline to succeed in any area… How much self-discipline is behind the success of great athletes, great musicians, of prominent scientists, or of any good professional in any successful business?… and like that, discipline is required in all aspects of life.
Then, what is Self-discipline good for? It is good for us because we can start controlling ourselves, to have our body and mind under our control without letting them act like robots, on their own. Usually we react automatically based on the programs we have acquired during our lives. For example, if someone says “you’re dumb”, they turn on a switch in me that makes me answer back in a “fight mode” “no, you’re dumb!”, but if I don’t act like a robot, if I stop and ask myself, “Am I dumb?…No!” then there’s no reason for me to react.
If by any chance, during a self-discipline period of 7 days, which I promised myself to do, I relapse on the 4th day, I observe myself, check where did I go wrong, then, being very calmly and kindly with myself, I start again from the beginning, that is, for 7 more days. This way I will begin to “train” myself step by step.
Self-discipline is good for re-programming old habits that only bring us trouble.
HOMEWORK:
Make a commitment with yourself to do a self-discipline for a week, like for example not eating something that you love (soda, candy, chips, etc.) or do something to help at home every day (like make your bed, clean the bathroom, set the table, do the dishes…), before someone asks you to.
If a child doesn’t know what to commit to, you can help by suggesting, but never forcing him… Self-discipline has to come from the childs’ own will, it is a commitment of each one with themselves.
Each one writes their homework on a piece of paper, signs it and puts it away to check it the coming week.
Suggestion: We encourage practicing Self-discipline as a family, it is a wonderful experience that can help everyone feel closer and grow together. Each one makes a commitment for 7 days and agrees to help each other to accomplish the goal.
Listen to the Self-discipline song on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0k3wOwJZ_4