Hinduism is a religion that teaches us the way of life.
In this world the importance of personal identity is at the top but so should be our spiritual and cultural identity. To introduce ourselves we generally give our name & profession and other worldly details but do we really know our roots and where we belong to! Do our children know about our tradition, our culture, our religion, and our roots?
Learning about one’s own religion and culture in childhood is important because this is the foundation age. Our childhood can influence most of our decisions and choices in life. Thus it is very important that we give very best to our children. If we can practice cultural values ourselves as parents, our children are sure to follow them. Knowledge and practice of these values during their formative years will help them make the right choices and face challenges in their adulthood.
Nowadays it is hard to teach our children our own culture and traditions. Our ever busy lifestyles make it a challenge to pass on our heritage to them, especially without the benifit of extended family. Concern of this motivated the creation of GuruSkul. Hinduism can be taught to children in several ways such as the following:
Pranayama (Breathing Excercises) - Breathing is life. It is one of our most vital functions. One of the Five Principles of Yoga is Pranayama or Breathing Exercise which promotes proper breathing. In a Yogic point of view, proper breathing is to bring more oxygen to the blood and to the brain, and to control Prana or the vital life energy.
Mantras - Just like our traditions and festivals, 'Mantras' play a very important part in our day to day life. In the Indian religions, a mantra is a sound, syllable, word or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation"
Indian Historical Stories and Legends - Children can listen to stories related to family values and morals. Through these stories children learn about respecting oneself and respecting others. These stories also help them to understand the vital role of parents and teachers in their lives.
Children activities related to our culture -Different activities such as making lamps (Diya), creating Rangoli designs, and many more can be practices at home.
Devotional Songs – At ‘GuruSkul’ we believe that music is a very powerful educational tool. It can heal, relax and sooth oneself. Sometimes music can be more effective than just preaching and children relate better to music. At ‘GuruSkul’ children sing devotional songs with different instruments. Through devotional songs important concepts of Hinduism can be understood. By singing devotional songs you get awakened from within.
Traditional Hindu festivals - We believe that celebrating our festivals teach us a lot about our culture and traditions. We should learn the significance of each festival. We believe that children should learn about our festivals from an early age.
It is important that children know and learn some, if not all of the above, to help them understand why we do certain things we do, or why we celebrate certain festivals in a traditional manner. Sometimes we do not have the explanation but we just follow the tradition.
We are not implementing any new beliefs or ideas. This already exists in our families but we should know why we practice a tradition, learn the significance of the values and traditions practiced in Hinduism, and the importance of their presence in our lives. We should constantly motivate children to be aware of their culture and heritage.