Friendship. It’s a cornerstone of childhood, a source of joy, laughter, and shared adventures. But for many children, navigating the social landscape can be tricky, leading to hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and the painful sting of loneliness. While it’s natural for parents to want to "fix" these external situations, what if the most powerful solutions lie within?

 Affirmations for children aren’t about pretending everything is perfect. They’re about planting seeds of self-belief, emotional awareness, and resilience—especially in a world that can feel overwhelming for little hearts.

At Zen Club, we believe that children are never too young to connect with their inner wisdom. Inspired by Louise Hay’s philosophy—where thoughts shape health and self-love is the foundation of healing—we invite children to gently explore their emotional energy through playful, body-based awareness. And one beautiful way to do that? Through the language of chakras.

Louis Hay has long been a 'go to' on my book shelf. Her amazing book, 'You Can Heal Your Life,' has been an inspiration for me so I am always looking for ways to incorporate her teachings in our Zen Club sessions. In a world where children are increasingly navigating big emotions—stress, anxiety, self-doubt—Louise Hay’s timeless wisdom offers a way forward. Known for her work in emotional healing and affirmations, Hay believed that our thoughts and feelings directly affect our wellbeing. At Zen Club, we take this philosophy and make it child-friendly, helping young hearts feel safe, loved, and empowered.

Yesterday, I was discussing the concept of, 'you are your thoughts' as I was fortunate to have been invited to speak on a podcast called 'The Spark.' This is something that I teach in a very gentle way to the children in my club. 

The Irish have a wonderful saying, “tá brón orm”, it means: “sadness is on me." I love this so much for many reasons. Firstly, it means that they have separated out the emotion from themselves, there is an understanding here that emotions come and go; they visit us and pass by. This is such a powerful concept. I love teaching this to children during Zen Club. It is very easy for youngsters to feel overwhelmed by emotion and carried along on a tide of powerful feelings. Empowering children to understand that emotions are separate from us and come to 'visit' helps them feel control. It allows children to see that THEY are not the emotion. They are not sad. They are not anger. They are experiencing this emotion and that is valid but the emotion is not who they are. They are still themselves before, during and after the experience.