Awareness Through the Body in the Kindergarten

Book reviewBy Alan

Keywords: New publications, Books, Awareness Through the Body (ATB), Kindergarten and Concentration

.jpg

Awareness through the Body (ATB) is one of Auroville’s truly groundbreaking programmes. Beginning in 1993, Aloka, Joan and people who have since become facilitators in ATB have helped generations of students, as well as adults, to know and manage the complexity of their own being through simple tools rooted in sensory experience. Since then, many people in India and abroad have successfully introduced ATB practices into their life and work.

In 2006, they released their first book, Awareness through the Body – a way to enhance concentration , relaxation and self-knowledge in children and adults. Now they have published a companion volume: Awareness through the Body in the Kindergarten: First steps towards cultivating attention, relaxation and self-awareness.

While the underlying principles of ATB are common to all age groups, over the years Aloka and Joan have identified essential principles to make kindergarten classes more effective. These are rhythm, play, imagination-fantasy, surprises, and learning about boundaries.

The new book gives many examples of how topics like attention and concentration, sensory awareness, breath, physical structure and relaxation can be developed in young

children, thus providing a foundation for many of the ATB activities that are developed later on in primary and middle schools. There are also sample class plans. This beautifully produced book is a distillation of years of sensitive explorations into how young children can be helped to make the first steps towards becoming more self-aware and responsible beings. It is a joy to share the journey.


Awareness through the Body in the Kindergarten: First steps towards cultivating attention, relaxation and self-awareness. Published in 2021 by Sri Aurobindo Institute of Educational Research. Available from the usual outlets and on auroville.com