Reading Practices
Below are the sacred reading practices that reflect our family’s interspiritual traditions. These long-established contemplative practices have been adapted in accessible ways for children and their caregivers to use while reading together. The practices are inclusive and welcome everyone regardless of religious, nonreligious, or spiritual identity.
Each sacred reading practice lists all 6 steps, prepare, read, mindful moment, share, offer, and rest. They are organized by personal influences including Buddhist, Christian Mystic, and Nature-based traditions. Each practice is available online or on printable bookmarks which can be downloaded at the bottom of each practice page.
Pick a book, a practice below, and explore sacredly reading together!
-
Buddhist Practices
-
Ground, Path, Fruition
This practice uses the traditional Buddhist three-fold logic for clear understanding.
-
Innate Goodness
This practice exercises our ability to recognize kindness.
-
Loving-kindness (Metta) Meditation
An adaptation of loving-kindness meditation to gently exercise our ability to be with a challenging person.
-
Walking Meditation
A walking meditation inviting you to imagine walking in another person’s shoes.
-
-
Christian Mystic Practices
-
Awareness Examen
This practice exercises our ability to be aware of how sacred action shows up through a character’s perspective.
-
Lectio Divina
This practice is an adaptation of the traditional Christian Benedictine format. It explores and invites a more personal meaning of the written word.
-
Visio Divina
This practice invites contemplation through images or illustrations while reading picture books together.
-
Welcoming
A practice to gently and compassionately connect our emotional and physical experience.
-
-
Nature-based Practices
-
Earth Wisdom
This practice invites a connective experience with nature which opens ourselves to Earth’s wisdom.
-
Elemental Embodiment
In this practice we invite the movement of natural elements to help express ourselves.
-
Resting with Earth
This practice invites us to be in relationship to Earth sharing mutual trust and care.
-
Sharing Tea
An imaginative practice that shares tea with a character in the book.
-
