EDUCATIONAL INSIGHT

Excerpts from a magical book for young children about yoga & the mind

elcome to lion sage, a spiritual adventure for children. Adapting an earlier work by Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, called Mystic Mouse, the editors of HINDUISM TODAY magazine enlisted Ashley Moore in California to redraw all of the art, adding color and her creative ability to tell stories with graphics. Ashley spent many months conceiving the ideas and executing them in the style you will soon discover. The cover (of this magazine and the book) is by Kerala muralist Manikandan Punnakkal. Lion Sage is a child’s version of the metaphysical masterpiece Merging with Siva. It teaches children how to face life’s challenges, but most importantly informs them of their true identity. They are not the body which suffers now and then. They are not the emotions that well up in good times and not so good times. They are not the thinking mind. They are light and love; they are an immortal soul on a path of self-discovery. Knowing this one truth can alter a young life forever.

As you take your children through these pages, you are providing a deep comprehension of life and values that few people have. You are teaching them to live in the now and not dwell on the past or worry about the future. You are strengthening their self-esteem, their ability to solve problems and cope with relationships. You are giving them tools to create a happier, less stressful childhood. You are erasing much of the negativity that the outside world rushes to burden them with. And you are endowing them with the basic wisdom of Saiva Siddhanta, the profound spiritual path of South India that the author embraced and lived. And, who knows, maybe you are inspiring yourself a little in the process.

No doubt you, as parent or teacher, will be called upon to answer many questions, to elucidate some of the more obscure concepts. You can also add your own insights and stories for the child. Your anecdotes about the eternal now, or about the importance of letting go will be an essential part of the story of the mouse and the lion. Be the lion when called upon to bring clarity to the adventure. As Lion Sage might say, “Are you ready?” These pages contain two of the nineteen chapters of Lion Sage. The full book can be downloaded for free at: bit.ly/LionSageBook