Let us then sit on the floor with our legs crossed or on a chair. If we can, let's take off our shoes and try to keep our backs straight. Let's breathe deeply, close our eyes, and try to feel our inner beauty… Let's begin the meditation.

1. Let's place our hands on Mother Earth and ask her to take away our thoughts, our fears, and everything that bothers us. The Earth takes care of us like a mother. While in silence, let's place our hands on our knees, with palms facing the sky, and keep our attention within ourselves. Throughout the meditation, the left hand will always rest on the knee.

2. Let's place our right hand on the left side, below the stomach. Let's say within ourselves:

   "I WISH TO KNOW MYSELF AND THIS PRECIOUS ENERGY THAT IS WITHIN ME"

   "I WISH TO KNOW MYSELF AND THIS PRECIOUS ENERGY THAT IS WITHIN ME."

3. Let's place our right hand a little higher, also on the left side of our stomach. In this part lies the quality of being a master, and when this quality is awakened in us, we are calm and know what is good for us. Let's ask our energy to come to this place and say within ourselves:

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, I WISH TO BE MY OWN MASTER. PLEASE, LET ME FEEL THE PEACE THAT IS WITHIN ME."

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, I WISH TO BE MY OWN MASTER. PLEASE, LET ME FEEL THE PEACE THAT IS WITHIN ME."

4. Let's place our right hand on our heart and say a few times within ourselves:

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, COME TO MY HEART AND LET ME FEEL THE JOY AND COURAGE THAT IS WITHIN ME."

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, COME TO MY HEART AND LET ME FEEL THE JOY AND COURAGE THAT IS WITHIN ME."

5. Let's place our right hand on our neck and say within ourselves:

   "ENERGY, PLEASE MAKE ME SWEET AND LET ME BE A FRIEND TO EVERYONE."

   "ENERGY, PLEASE MAKE ME SWEET AND LET ME BE A FRIEND TO EVERYONE."

6. Let's place our right hand on our forehead and say within ourselves:

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, COME TO MY HEAD AND HELP ME LOVE EVERYONE AND FORGIVE EVERYONE."

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, COME TO MY HEAD AND HELP ME LOVE EVERYONE AND FORGIVE EVERYONE."

7. Let's place our right hand on our head and say within ourselves:

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, COME TO THE TOP OF MY HEAD AND LET ME FEEL THE BEAUTY OF SILENCE. PLEASE, LET ME FEEL THAT I AM CONNECTED WITH THE WHOLE WORLD."

   "ENERGY, PLEASE, COME TO THE TOP OF MY HEAD AND LET ME FEEL THE BEAUTY OF SILENCE. PLEASE, LET ME FEEL THAT I AM CONNECTED WITH THE WHOLE WORLD."

8. Let's slowly raise our right hand and try to feel the energy flowing from our head like a cord connecting all children into one, big heart. Let's now slowly place our right hand back on our knee, with the palm facing the sky. Let's remain in meditation for a moment, listening to the energy flowing within us.

Workshops for preschoolers are conducted in small groups, preferably up to 25 children (the smaller the group, the better). Duration: approximately 40 minutes.

We offer two forms of workshops:

1. Exercises helping to cope with emotions (meditation exercises, improving attention and concentration).
2. Workshops on coping with emotions combined with the theme of animal care *.

Meeting Plan (1. Exercises for coping with emotions):

Children are greeted with music; we ask them to take off their shoes and sit on the floor.

1. Volunteers introduce themselves and say a few words about themselves.
2. We ask the children their names (if the group is small, up to 25 children).
3. We ask the children if they have ever seen the boy from the poster before.
4. We ask the children what inner peace means to them (if their age allows).
5. We tell the "Ancient Legend" and ask the children where the power was hidden.
6. We show a presentation (if there is a projector in the room) / or animations, we teach balance, we sing 7 sounds for each flower from the poster (presentation/animations - depending on the age group).
7. We ask the children what sound they hear when their hair grows / when the grass grows.
8. We show how to achieve inner peace (instructions from the leaflet).
9. We distribute leaflets (also for their brothers and sisters).
10. We ask the children to draw what they associate with inner peace / or just a colorful drawing, e.g., flowers, a rainbow – their drawings will be passed on to the next group of children.

Meeting Plan (2. Exercises for coping with emotions combined with animal care):

Children are greeted with music; we ask them to take off their shoes and sit on the floor.

1. Volunteers introduce themselves and say a few words about themselves.
2. We ask the children their names (if the group is small, up to 25 children).
3. We ask the children if they like animals and if they have any at home.
4. We show posters with pictures of animals, asking what kind of animal it is, what emotions it expresses (joy, sadness, anger, fear).
5. We ask the children what we can learn from a dog (loyalty, non-judgment, love, forgiveness, etc.).
6. We tell the "Ancient Legend" and ask where the power was hidden (the legend's text is modified to fit the animal theme).
7. We show a presentation (if there is a projector) / or animations, we teach balance, we sing 7 sounds for each flower from the poster (presentation/animations - depending on the age group).
8. We ask the children what sound they hear when their hair grows / when the grass grows.
9. We show how to achieve inner peace (instructions from the leaflet).
10. We distribute leaflets (also for their brothers and sisters).
11. We ask the children to draw what they associate with inner peace / or just a colorful drawing, e.g., flowers, a rainbow – their drawings will be passed on to the next group of children.

• Workshops are conducted in cooperation with the "Zwierzęca Arkadia" Foundation, in exchange for a collection of pet food.

Workshops for schools are conducted in small groups, preferably up to 25 students (the smaller the group, the better). Duration: 1 school lesson hour.

The workshop program is adapted to the age group of the children.

We offer two forms of workshops:

1. Exercises helping to cope with emotions (meditation exercises, improving attention and concentration).
2. Workshops on coping with emotions combined with the theme of animals *.

This includes basic issues concerning dog behaviorism, humane treatment of animals, and welfare. For grades 6-7, we additionally cover: how to recognize a puppy mill? And a discussion on medical professions (the conversation aims to help children decide on their future profession and, consequently, their high school profile).

Grades 1-3

Meeting Plan (1. Exercises for coping with emotions):

Children are greeted with music; we ask them to take off their shoes and sit on the floor.

1. Volunteers introduce themselves and talk about the Inner Peace Day organization. We also mention which city we recently visited and where we are going next.
2. We ask the children their names (if the group is small, up to 25 children).
3. We ask if they have ever seen the boy from the poster before.
4. We ask the children what inner peace means to them.
5. We show a presentation (if there is a projector in the room).
6. We tell the ancient legend and ask the children where the power was hidden.
7. We ask what sound they hear when their hair grows / when the grass grows.
8. We show how to achieve inner peace (instructions from the leaflet).
9. We distribute leaflets (also for their brothers and sisters).
10. If there is time, we show animations, teach balance, and sing 7 sounds for each flower from the poster.
11. We ask the children to draw what they associate with inner peace – their drawings will be passed on to the next group of children.

Meeting Plan (2. Exercises for coping with emotions combined with the theme of animals):

Children are greeted with music; we ask them to take off their shoes and sit on the floor.

1. Volunteers introduce themselves and say a few words about themselves.
2. We ask the children their names (if the group is small, up to 25 children).
3. We ask if they like animals and have any at home.
4. We discuss responsibility for animals, asking what the quote means: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed?" (visible on the poster).
5. We ask if they can recognize signals sent by dogs, show posters with dog pictures, and ask what emotions they express. We also ask if animals can recognize our emotions.
6. We ask what we can learn from a dog (loyalty, non-judgment, love, forgiveness, etc.).
7. We tell the ancient legend and ask where the power was hidden.
8. We show a presentation/animations, teach balance, and sing 7 sounds for each flower from the poster (depending on the age group).
9. We ask what sound they hear when their hair grows / when the grass grows.
10. We show how to achieve inner peace (instructions from the leaflet).
11. We distribute leaflets (also for their brothers and sisters).
12. We ask the children to draw what they associate with inner peace / or just a colorful drawing, e.g., flowers, a rainbow – their drawings will be passed on to the next group of children.

Grades 4-7

Meeting Plan (1. Exercises for coping with emotions):

Children are greeted with music; we ask them to take off their shoes and sit on the floor.

1. Volunteers introduce themselves and talk about the Inner Peace Day organization. We also mention which city we recently visited and where we are going next.
2. We ask if they have ever seen the boy from the poster before.
3. We ask the children what inner peace means to them.
4. We ask what causes them anger, stress, and sadness, and how they cope with these emotions. Do they know effective ways to deal with negative emotions?
5. We show a presentation (if there is a projector).
6. We do an attention exercise.
7. We show how to achieve inner peace (instructions from the leaflet, affirmations tailored to the age group).
8. We repeat the attention game after a short relaxation to show the difference in concentration and focus.
9. We distribute leaflets (also for their brothers and sisters).
10. If we have time, we teach how to balance the nervous system through simple exercises.
11. We ask the children to draw what they associate with inner peace – their drawings will be passed on to the next group of children.

The "Zwierzęca Arkadia" Foundation is run by a group of volunteers: Ms. Ola Gruszczyńska, Klaudia Stypuła, and Mr. Arek Stypuła.

"Zwierzęca Arkadia" was established in response to the growing problem of homelessness among both dogs and cats in the city of Pszczyna. Initially, the volunteers' help was based on caring for animals at a temporary holding point in Pszczyna, interventions, and finding temporary and permanent homes for their wards. Over time, their activities expanded.

The Center for Abused Animals in Grzawa has existed since 2016, and new residents arrive every month. The center is home to horses saved from death transports, horses abandoned by their owners, pigs that were meant to end up on a plate, a goat that was supposed to be a May roast, as well as dogs and cats.

As part of the Educational Program aimed at schools and preschools, we conduct classes on animal behavior and responsibility. The educational program is adapted to the age groups of the participants.

As an IPD volunteer, a veterinarian cooperating with the Foundation, and a school pedagogue, I have been conducting classes with a group of volunteers since the end of February 2018 to sensitize the youngest to animal suffering.

Foundation's Website

Link to information about the classes

• "Troskliwe Misie" Nursery in Jankowice
• Public Preschool No. 4 in Pszczyna
• "Skrzatowo" Preschool in Pszczyna
• Primary School No. 5 in Łaziska Górne
• Primary School No. 11 in Oświęcim
• "SportArt" Preschool in Tychy
• "Montessori" Preschool in Tychy
• Primary School in Trzemeśnia

Recommendation from Montessori Tychy

1. Presentation (5-7 years) (8-11 years) (high school)
2. Animation 1 and 2
3. Ancient Legend
4. Poster
5. Leaflets (5-7 years) and (youth)
6. Meditation