“Little Light is a beautiful journey. I enjoy every moment of the session. I have learned three important points to remember for a lifetime. Firstly I am a special being. I don’t care about the hurtful remarks of others because I am a special being. Secondly, whenever I doubt my potential, I take out my little self cheerleader to motivate myself. Thirdly, bad thoughts do not stay in my mind for long. I have learned a secret technique to shoo them away.” – These are the words of a young student Khwahish from The Millennium School, Amritsar. (TMS).

These powerful words from a young child are the reason we believe the Little Light School of Joy program must be taken to all schools. TMS Amritsar began its journey with Little Light in June 2021. Little Light programs are created as a long term engagement to encourage deep learning and lasting impact. Throughout the year, the educators took the children through the stories, discussions and daily practices. Soon the children began to learn sadhanas they can inculcate in their daily life to help them connect with their inner selves and develop spiritual fortitude.

What is spiritual fortitude ?

Walking on a spiritual path is taking a journey to understand the core of our being and also know that we are all part of something that is greater than us. There is a significant link between the understanding of our identity and the greater purpose of our life. This path helps us build resources and a capacity for authentic engagement with the world. Walking down this path, we gather resources that help sustain us as we journey through life.

Spiritual Fortitude is a measure of one’s ability to sustain an individual’s sense of self and purpose through their core beliefs, values and morals even in the face of challenging situations.

Why must we focus on building spiritual fortitude ?

Life is uncertain and as we go through life, we will certainly come across challenges and some of them may even feel overwhelming. It is then imperative that, early in life, we work on developing the fortitude to face these challenges with equanimity. Developing a powerful spiritual fortitude will keep us centered and anchored in our faith even when the waters around us are turbulent. It gives us the resilience to endure with that faith that this too shall pass.

How can we begin this journey for ourselves and our children ?

We all have within us this immense capacity to deal with life’s challenges. This capacity opens up to us as we begin to awaken to our authentic selves. The more time one spends in self-reflection and building self awareness, the more we begin to connect to our inner consciousness. We build a better understanding of who we truly are. This way we can begin to live a life in harmony with our authentic self.

Young children , unencumbered by life’s experiences and the biases that are built because of it, are said to be most in touch with their inner light. It is our jobs as adults to keep this light shining bright. We can do so by guiding them on a journey of self reflection and help them grow into confident, stable and happy individuals who are able to face the challenges thrown by life, instead of being overwhelmed by them.

The SCHOOL OF JOY program was created with the vision to awaken each child to their authentic self and find their inner joy. If you wish to begin this journey for your students, do check out the SCHOOL OF JOY program.