Over the past 12 months DreamyKid partnered with mindfulness meditation teacher Isabelle Mary Fitzgerald of My Peaceful Universe https://mypeacefuluniverse.org bringing forth some favorite meditations to the DK library including, “My Breath Is A Gift, The Weather Inside You and Waves of Emotion” to name a few. Isabelle’s meditations guide you deeply into the moment while her beautiful speaking voice soothes while keeping you present. She has the ability to sound as though she is in the room guiding your child into the moment of experiencing their unique breath and tuning their results into a deep sense of self. Ultimately a mindfulness practice increases awareness of self, empathy, focus, and over all sense of wellness. With that in mind let us introduce you to Isabelle.
“I truly believe a focus on younger people is now absolutely vital. Every child deserves to have access to tools and strategies to help them manage their emotional health and wellbeing as early as possible.” ~ Isabelle Mary Fitzgerald
DreamyKid: Was there something that happened in your childhood that drew you to meditation and eventually teaching meditation to children?
Isabelle: Like a lot of children, I suffered low self-esteem and low self-image issues. Then in my early 20’s I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and was suffering underlying anxiety. This was a very challenging time for my family and myself. Whilst in the hospital, I became drawn to reading self-help books such as “Autobiography of a Yogi,” by Paramahansa Yogananda, “White Eagle,” by E. H. White, as well as, reading my first Louise Hay book, “You Can Heal Your Life,” and it was here my spiritual journey began and my eyes began to open. After making a full recovery, I then decided I wanted to embark on a career helping others heal their body, mind and spirit, so I enrolled into college and completed a diploma in energetic healing. It was while I was studying this amazing course I discovered the healing powers of meditation and the positive impact it had on the mind, body, and spirit.
DreamyKid: Can you tell us a bit about why you chose mindfulness as your focus?
Isabelle: In my mid 30’s after having my 1st child, I began to struggle with anxiety again as well as insomnia. I was very reluctant to see a psychologist, but wow, let me tell you it was truly a life changing decision. In my sessions, she introduced me to mindfulness of which made a hugely significant impact on my mental health transforming my life in every way. After completing an 8-week Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) program, the course of my life, changed direction and I saw the world through a whole new lens. I discovered I had the tools to manage my mind at any moment… this was so empowering, a game-changer. I developed the ability to live in the present moment, increase my self-awareness, learn to observe my thoughts without judgement, as well as self-compassion.
“I have personally found that at home a child will most likely meditate on their own if it’s bedtime. Most of the time they are already tired and they just love the idea of falling asleep to a soft soothing voice and beautiful visualization.” Isabelle Mary Fitzgerald
DreamyKid: Why are children your focus?
Isabelle: In 2016 my son River was accepted into the Opportunity Class in a local primary school and started suffering anxiety just before his year 5 school camp. He was 10 years of age. His anxiety caused shallow breathing and started causing serious trouble with his sleeping. River stopped going to his dance classes and didn’t want to go to school. As a parent his struggle was heartbreaking. I decided to introduce River to guided meditation, as well as mindfulness. I taught River how to observe his thoughts without getting caught up in them, as well as breathing techniques and meditation and he was able to calm himself at night to sleep. Thankfully, with the help of River’s school counsellor, who understood mindfulness, and his caring teacher, River conquered his fears, had a great experience at school camp, and went on to become a prefect (school leader) at Mona Vale Public School in year 6.
DreamyKid: Do you think it’s realistic that any child can meditate?
Isabelle: After seeing first-hand the positive effects mindfulness and meditation had on my son’s life, I then made the decision that it was important to create accessible mindfulness and meditation programs for kids and families experiencing the same struggles I experienced with my own son River. When introduced in the right way kids can DEFINITELY learn to meditate. In fact, they absolutely love it. When I was teaching my classes, kids would fall asleep all the time. In the beginning, the idea of sitting still was a little challenging to them, but once I let my students know that it was ok for them to wiggle around in the beginning and it was normal for their mind to experience lots of thoughts, they were able to relax, unwind and connect with their inner “peaceful universe.”
DreamyKid: We want to thank Isabelle for partnering with DK in seeing children have the tools in the form of meditation to uplift and support their lives. It is scientifically proven that meditation will benefit children’s lives giving them a box of tools to create their best life for the rest of their life. Thank you, Isabelle.
You can find Isabelle’s meditations on the DreamyKid app. Push Play!
To learn more about the science behind mindfulness meditation check out our blog “Ten Breaths and The Science of Meditation.” https://dreamykid.com/ten-breaths-and-the-science-of-meditation
To learn more about My Peaceful Universe click here.
