Welcome to Hive Mindfulness,
Meditations for Curious Kids.
Hello,
Little duck.
I mean beaver.
I mean otter.
Oh,
Hello,
Little platypus.
You confused me with your duck-like bill and beaver-like tail and otter-like body.
But I finally figured it out.
Good to see you,
My dear friend.
I am so happy to see my favourite little Australian animal.
You must be getting tired of all this confusion about what you are.
People have been getting confused about platypuses for hundreds of years.
Even the first European scientist to see platypus specimen thought you must be a trick.
You are an animal so unique,
It's hard to believe you are real.
I apologize.
I see you clearly now.
And it looks like you are getting tired.
Morning has come and you've been busy hunting all night and into the early morning.
You've been swimming around underwater,
Finding your favourite foods,
Insects and shellfish and worms.
Yummy.
You are a spectacular hunter,
Little platypus.
You have a searching superpower,
Electro-location.
Tonight,
As you have been searching,
You've been using the receptors on your bill to sense electrical fields that are sent out by living things.
You are so great at electro-locating,
You've even been closing your eyes and your ears and just focusing on receiving electrical signals.
That is one of the reasons you're so tired,
Little platypus.
You've been waving your bill back and forth,
Back and forth,
Back and forth to pick up signals.
It's almost like you've been dancing through the cool water,
Swaying to the left and then the right,
Left then right.
Currents of water sweeping across your body,
Smooth and calming.
You move so fluently in the water,
Little platypus,
Buoyed up,
Your whole body floating effortlessly.
Can you feel it now,
Little platypus?
The way your whole body is supported and cradled in the water,
Every muscle comfortable and relaxed.
The way you feel so at home and happy from your big flat tail that stabilizes and steers you through the waves.
To your back feet that are like built-in brakes.
And on to your front feet that paddle you along,
All the way to the very top of your head,
So relaxed.
Now that the busy dawn hunting time is winding down and the heat of the day is on its way,
It's time for you to head off to sleep.
There you go,
Little platypus.
Swim towards the edge of the river.
You navigate so smoothly through the water.
There,
In front of you,
Do you see the muddy banks?
You swim up onto the bank and climb onto muddy ground.
You can feel your webbed feet sink into the squelchy mud.
The mud is so thick and cool and squishy on your feet.
As you sink into the mud,
The cool slimy feeling gives you shivers down your back.
There,
Above you,
Can you see a little hole in the riverbank?
That is your burrow.
It is quite a way up the hill.
To get all the way up there,
You retract your claws,
Stick them into the ground,
And run.
You're a shy creature,
Little platypus.
You live by yourself and you do not like seeing other creatures,
So you would like to get to your den pretty quickly.
Run along.
You look a little bit funny when you run,
But that's okay.
You have the ability to move on land and in the water,
Which is very lucky for you,
Little platypus.
Okay,
You are even more tired now,
But you have made it to your hole.
A black opening in the side of the riverbank.
The hole is just the right size for you to squeeze through.
It is so close to your size,
In fact,
That as you squeeze in,
The tight sides of the entrance help wring extra water out of your outer layers of fur,
Drying you off.
There you go.
You are going to enter your burrow now.
Start with your head.
Let it slip into the burrow,
Getting cozy and dry as you enter.
Now your shoulders,
Slip them in,
And your belly,
Your legs,
And finally your tail and toes.
Good job,
Little platypus.
You are so warm and dry and cozy now.
Your lower layers of fur always stay warm and dry,
And so you are well padded and protected from the cold.
Ah,
Home.
How lovely to be back.
It is so nice to have a place to call your own,
A safe place that you can be by yourself,
Rest and relax and think your own thoughts.
It feels so good to be here.
If you need to take a little stretch after all that swimming and running,
Little platypus,
Do it now.
There.
Isn't that wonderful?
Now,
Curl up in your little underground den,
Letting your body lay however is most comfortable,
Getting into the perfect position to get ready to sink into a long,
Long sleep.
It is nice and dark in here,
Little platypus,
Perfect to sleep away the hot day.
Your eyes sink shut.
You are getting very,
Very drowsy.
You are a tired little animal.
As a platypus,
You sleep a lot,
Even more than many other animals,
Even more than little humans.
You are an excellent sleeper,
Sleeping up to 14 hours every day.
You are also an excellent dreamer,
Little platypus.
You spend a lot of your sleeping time in REM sleep,
The type of sleep that is just right for dreaming.
You spend more time in REM sleep than any other mammal.
That means you likely get to spend a lot of time dreaming wonderful dreams.
What do you dream of?
Do you like to dream of doing your favorite thing,
Swimming?
Do you dream of paddling through lakes and rivers and ponds?
Where would you like to explore tonight in your dreams,
Little platypus?
The warm ocean tides full of fish and coral that you do not visit during your waking hours?
What about a calm lake surrounded by tall trees with the sun streaming through them?
Think about what you would like to dream about tonight.
Now remind yourself,
I am going to dream about.
.
.
Sometimes,
Little platypus,
When you dream about swimming,
You even paddle with your little legs in your sleep,
Acting out your dreams' actions so cute.
Now,
Little platypus,
You cannot keep yourself awake any longer.
You drift off,
Letting sleep wash over you,
Letting it in,
Drifting off into dreamland.
Goodnight,
Little platypus.
