Elementary Elements
ELEMENTARY ELEMENTS: Meditation specialist Chitra Sukhu produces children's CD.
by Kenya Yarbrough

Chitra Sukhu
(Jul. 12, 2002) *Chitra Sukhu is introducing a new type of bedtime story for kids. Born in South America and raised in the US, the Indian actress initially planned to pursue an acting career, but now considers that her past life. Instead she's found her higher purpose - working with children and creating a new generation of well balanced healthy and creative individuals with a sense of self. Sukhu produced a CD called "Guided Meditation For Children: Journey Into the Elements" and is committed to helping children create the world they want.
"It's part of my life, this meditation, so it comes to me naturally," Sukhu says of her authority on the art of meditating. She adds that she began teaching the art to her own two children who found comfort, imagination, and joy in the exercise, so she decided to market it to others.

"It's a guided meditation CD for children and it consists of five meditations that correspond to the five elements - earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Each meditation takes you into each element, at the same time taking you deeper within," she describes.

Furthermore, Sukhu says that the CD creates a time for children to be creative and build focus and concentration at the same time.

"It helps with nightmares and hyperactivity," she adds. "That's very important now because of our schools diagnosing so many of our children with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorders). We don't have anything for our children to learn to relax, so this helps with that."

Sukhu also says that another inspiration for the project was children's reactions to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"That made me want to do this right away," she says. "There were so many things out there for adults. I know children were having nightmares, and I think adults didn't know how to explain to children what was happening. With meditation, my children, who have been doing it since they were about three or four, were able to deal with it."

The basis of meditation for children, Sukhu explains, is not to try to "clear" their minds, or make them necessarily "settle down." In fact, Sukhu believes that being active is part of being a child and the meditation techniques aren't to stifle their activity. She suggests children use the CD just before they go to sleep.

"For the younger child it could be before nap time, but usually it's before bedtime, like a bedtime story. They can just listen to the words and go on a journey," says Sukhu. "It's like a fairy tale. It's something they can relate to."

The CD features Sukhu and a monologues of stories connected to the elements targeted at children ages four to 12. Each element has a story and its own guide, such as a gnome or mermaid, which introduces the child to their world through detailed visualization techniques. Then, after each journey, the CD has three or four minutes of instrumentation that allow the listener to imagine and create their own images and journeys in their mind. Then each story ends with a message, delivered by Mario Van Peebles, Sukhu's love interest, about the taking care of the world.

"Children will be our future leaders and I feel that this is the place to start," Sukhu says. "I think if children can learn meditation at a young age they can create the most amazing world. I think everything starts with a thought. If they're able to imagine what they want their world to be like or what they'd like to be when they grow up, they can accomplish anything. So, meditation is such an important tool in creating their world."

"Guided Meditation For Children: Journey Into the Elements" is available in specialty stores and online at http://www.yogihari.com/specials.html

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