A New Philosophy I discovered in 2019-

By

Poorva - Mansha's mother

Anthroposophy-

A new philosophy I happened to discover in September 2019.

Where I was told- "Why are you answering all your child's questions?"

You mean I should not ? I didn't know there was a different way from this..

The Answer- I saw a Steiner teacher interact with my child and answer my daughter's question with

"I wonder why that is"

What did that do? You may ask. It opened up the whole world for me and for my daughter.

Answering a question, is the end of Curiosity. Answering it with this open ended statement was like a Magical box opening up with every possibility..

So, getting back to the beginning- What is Anthroposophy?

A philosophy founded by Dr. Rudolph Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, and clairvoyant.

Anthropos- means "Human Being" and Sophia means "Wisdom"

It brings science and spirituality together and offers newer perspectives to our observation and understanding of humans and the world.

This philosophy is used for/in various fields of Healing and Education. There are Steiner or Waldorf schools across the World which function with his philosophy.

The branch of this philosophy that works with special needs is called- Curative Education.

This way of Teaching, Being and Connecting with a child at his Soul and Spiritual level was absolutely new , novel and touching for me.I was thrilled to have finally found something that matched my ideal way of life. Like the perfect Glove of philosophy Fitting my hand- our way of wanting to live life.

Some Pillars of this way of being-

Following Rhythms -

How everything in Nature has its cycles and rhythms, the sun, the moon, the seasons, and thus if our children also have Rhythms to follow, this would help benefit their systems to slow down, to know and be comfortable with predictability, and to have a higher sense of balance and wellbeing

Food -

What we eat, what we take into our systems and what we give out, the input and the output are directly related.Thus how important it is to see what's the food that can bring in that sense of calm and ease.

Sleep -

How sleep is and plays a huge part of the subconscious, and conscious parts of our lives. Why it needs to be given so much importance in terms of what time do we finish meals, how the environment needs to be in preparation for sleep, how can we work towards having a beautiful rhythm to bedtime, how can our bodies transition into a good night's sleep.

Handwork -

Our Neurodivergent Children are fabulous with their heads and thinking- Their bodies are here on Earth, but their Spirits still somewhere connected to the higher world. Handwork like knitting, farming, crochet, gardening, crafts, Stitching , embroidery, anything where they use their body, all help them stay present, stay connected to the earth, and help ground them in the present. These activities help bring them closer to their inner being.

Singing and Movement -

Everything that is taught through this philosophy is through stories, song, poetry and movement. This helps regulate the body so beautifully, without effort.As all these activities are soothing and calming to the soul, and help feed with ones love for imagination and joy, rhythms and repetition.

Being in Nature and Having/Using Natural Elements -

We always loved trees, parks, waterfalls, rivers and gardens. Now more so, quiet walks in Nature, collecting fallen sticks and leaves, making art with them. The Serenenity and Calmness it brings, and being ok to 'Do nothing' 'Be bored' .These two activities actually have taught us so much. Wearing Natural Fabrics, being conscious of what materials surround us in our home environment. It's been a blessing to shift to Natural materials, not use plastics.A deeper connect with Mother Earth.

So many more deeper benefits of this beautiful life philosophy which we are reaping benefits of.

Have tried to share concisely, what we have received and experienced and how it's benefited our lifestyle so much through this way of being.

All of this and so much more as you deep dive into Anthroposophy will emerge.

Starting you off on this journey today, as we started off on ours 5 years ago.

Sending Ease,Peace and Joy your way,

Poorva

You could connect with me on what's app on +917028432831

Here is a video by

Nirupama Rao, our child psychologist from Bombay who works in this field, explaining

What is Anthroposophy? And it's benefits for children with Neurodivergent needs.

https://youtu.be/RTC68ZQATRA?feature=shared