Self Knowledge and Search for Truth

Children have rich inner lives. They have deep feelings and intuition. At Running River, we honor a child’s inner life. We begin each day as a whole school doing yoga so that the children can start off “centered” and “awakened” in their own words. We have daily quiet time where children have a chance to slow down and assimilate what they have learned, ponder and wonder about life, or just relax and do nothing. We also teach a sitting practice we call stillness, which we do every day as a transition into our afternoon academics. At the end of the day the students have a journal in which they reflect both their experiences and their daily learning.

For children to learn about the world, they need to know themselves. In order to be really sane in this dynamic, crowded world in which we live, we need a deep connection to ourselves and to be able to experience our aloneness. We want children to feel confident about being alone, as well as with people. We want children to know their own feelings, and what is right for them, and for them to be able to hear the truths that reside within them. Handling the push and pull between acting in the world and coming home to themselves is essential for the solidity of a child.

At Running River we focus on communicating effectively through Non-Violent Communication and the use of democratic councils for discussions and problem-solving. The children learn how to give and receive help from each other. Through this process they grow confident in effectively expressing their feelings, opinions and solutions to issues, as well as learning to see themselves and others more objectively and compassionately.