Hello,
I'm Noah and this is Like You,
A mindfulness podcast for kids.
I'm glad you're here.
Today we'll learn what it means to love ourselves and love the world.
Find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe.
On this episode,
We'll talk about nature,
So if you're able to listen outside,
I'd encourage you to do so.
If you can't go outside right now,
That's fine.
You'll still get a lot from this episode.
You are a part of this podcast,
So I hope you'll participate.
You can speak out loud,
Share your thoughts and answer questions.
Or if you'd rather just think things quietly in your head,
That's okay too.
Let's get started with a breathing exercise.
If you're sitting outside,
Take a moment to look around and notice the world around you.
If you're inside,
You can close your eyes and imagine an outdoor world around you.
Breathe slowly in and out as you look around.
Notice the color of the sky.
Is it sunny or cloudy?
Notice the plants around you.
Do you see any trees,
Flowers,
Grass?
Any other bushes or plants?
Let me tell you something interesting about our breath and how it relates to plants.
When a person like you or me breathes in,
We breathe in something called oxygen.
The oxygen fills our lungs and then it circulates through our body,
Bringing us energy and life.
The oxygen we breathe in enters our blood and pumps all through our body with the help from our heart.
Then when we breathe out,
We breathe out something called carbon dioxide.
And it turns out that plants can use carbon dioxide in creating their own energy to grow.
So when we breathe out,
We're giving plants,
Trees,
Flowers,
Grass and bushes something they need to live and grow.
But that's not all.
Those plants take our carbon dioxide to produce their energy.
And as they make their own energy,
They also make oxygen,
Which they send out into the air around them.
And as I told you just a moment ago,
Oxygen is the thing people need to breathe in and make our energy.
It's all a cycle that repeats over and over.
It's kind of like a little dance between people and nature.
We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.
Then plants breathe in our carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen,
Which we can then breathe in,
Starting the cycle all over again.
Isn't that amazing?
Now with that in mind,
Let's take a few deep breaths.
If you're sitting outside,
Look around and pick a tree or a flower or any sort of plant you can find.
If you're not outside,
You can imagine a plant in your head.
Now imagine you can see your own breath traveling in a straight line between you and that plant.
You see the oxygen coming out of that plant and floating toward you.
You take a long,
Deep breath in,
One,
Two,
Three,
Letting that oxygen fill up your lungs.
Now slowly breathe out,
One,
Two,
Three,
And imagine you can see your own breath moving out of you and traveling straight back to the plant where it can breathe your carbon dioxide in.
Let's do that a few more times.
The plant sends you oxygen and you watch it floating towards you as you breathe slowly in as deep as you can,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now breathe out,
Sending your carbon dioxide to that plant,
One,
Two,
Three.
Imagine watching your breath float through the air to find the plant.
Now the plant sends you oxygen.
Slowly breathe in with a long,
Deep breath filling your lungs,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now let a long,
Slow breath out and watch it return to the plant,
One,
Two,
Three.
Let's keep this going a few more times.
Imagining you can see the invisible connection between you and that plant.
Take a long,
Deep breath in,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now send your breath back out,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now the plant sends oxygen back to you.
Breathe it in,
One,
Two,
Three,
And then breathe out carbon dioxide,
One,
Two,
Three,
Sending it back to the plant.
One more long breath in,
One,
Two,
Three,
And one more long breath out,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now on the count of three,
We'll all say,
I like me,
One,
Two,
Three.
I like me.
I like you too.
You are a special and important part of the world.
You have a unique role to play and you are connected by a positive cycle to the world around you.
You matter to the world.
Now we'll spend a few moments thinking about these words,
Love yourself and love the world.
We repeat that with me,
Love yourself and love the world.
As you say those words,
Continue to think about what we learned about sharing our breath with plants.
Take a deep breath in as you think,
Love yourself.
Then take a long breath out as you think,
Love the world.
Now take a moment to think about one small thing you like about yourself.
It could be something about the way you look,
Like the color of your hair or your skin or your eyes.
It could be something that you like to do,
Like drawing,
Singing,
Playing or reading.
It could really be anything since there are so many things to like about you.
Just pick one and then spend a few seconds thinking about it.
Now pick one thing you like about the world.
Maybe you like the color of the sky,
The way the wind feels blowing through your hair,
The smell of a flower or the way a worm wiggles in the dirt.
Just one thing you like about the world.
Once you have something,
Spend a few seconds thinking about it.
Now repeat this again.
Love yourself and love the world.
Love yourself and love the world.
Take a deep breath in,
Love yourself.
And a long breath out,
Love the world.
Now think of one other thing you like about yourself.
Something different than the last one.
Is it your sense of humor?
Your problem solving skills?
Your courage or your kindness?
Spend a few seconds thinking about something else you like about yourself.
And now think of something else you love about the world.
Is it the warmth of the sun?
Is it the beautiful colors of tropical fish?
Is it the unique beauty of every other person in the world?
Spend a few moments thinking about one other thing you love about the world.
Now repeat once more.
Love yourself and love the world.
Love yourself and love the world.
Take a deep breath in,
Love yourself.
And a long breath out,
Love the world.
Never forget that there are many,
Many things to love about yourself.
And there are many,
Many things to love about the world.
We could repeat this exercise all day thinking of things we love about ourselves and the things we love about the world.
For now,
I've got a short new song to sing you.
And as you listen,
You can keep thinking of things you like about yourself and about the world.
Love yourself and love the world.
Every boy and every girl.
Love yourself and love the world.
Love the flowers,
Love the squirrels.
Love yourself and love the world.
Trees that sway and leaves that twirl.
Love yourself and love the world.
Sunlight shines and water swirls.
Love yourself and love the world.
Every boy and every girl.
So that brings us to today's affirmations.
Affirmations are words you can say to yourself to help you remember how wonderful you are.
Here's our friend Esso to lead us in a few affirmations.
Hey,
It's me,
Esso.
We repeat these affirmations with me.
I woke up today ready to love.
I woke up today ready to love.
Today I will learn and grow.
Today I will learn and grow.
No matter how hard it is,
I can do it.
No matter how hard it is,
I can do it.
My positive thoughts create positive feelings.
My positive thoughts create positive feelings.
I am full of joy.
I am full of joy.
There is no one better to be than myself.
There is no one better to be than myself.
Thank you,
Esso.
Now let's smile and take a few deep breaths as we wind down our time together.
I can't wait to spend some time together again soon.
Until then,
I like you,
I'm proud of you,
And I'm glad we are friends.
Have a happy and peaceful day.
Like You is a production of perpetual motion.
It is written and hosted by me,
Noah Glenn.
I also composed and performed the Like You theme music and other music that appeared in the episode.
Additional music came from I Make Mad Beats.
Our podcast cover art was illustrated by Maya Sain and our episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn.
Today's affirmations came from Esso Tolson.
Thanks for listening.
