Music
Singing is a fabulous way for children to absorb values and ideas. Music gives expression to our inner spiritual world, and singing with others gives collective expression to spiritual community.
The Sitting Together Book Set includes a Songbook with 58 songs. These songs are perfect for children and families because they’re simple and easy to learn. The quickest way to learn these songs is to listen to them using the links below. You can use the Sitting Together Curriculum Songbook for lyrics and guitar chords.
Some of the songs have hand motions or movements. For a listing of those songs and movement links, scroll down to the Songbook: Hand & Dance Motions section of this page.
Sitting Together Songbook
(On phones or small tablets, swipe left to see all the table columns.)
| Welcoming Class | Listen, Listen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Lesson Plan | Song Title | CDBaby ($0.99/song) | iTunes ($0.99/song) | Planting Seeds (Full album, 29 songs -- songs not sold individually: $9.95) | Other Site (only available here) FREE | Musican/ Educator Website for More Music |
| 1.1 Breathing Meditation | Breathing In, Breathing Out | Link | Link | Link to full CD download | ||
| 1.2 Mindfulness of the Senses | In, Out, Deep, Slow | Link to full CD download | ||||
| 1.3 Mindfulness of the Body | The Island Within | Link to full CD download | ||||
| 1.4 Walking Meditation | The Mind Can Go In A Thousand Directions | Link | ||||
| 1.5 Mindfulness of Emotions | My Mind Is a Clear Blue Sky | Link | Link | |||
| 1.6 Mindfulness of Thoughts | Happiness Is Here and Now | Link to full CD download | ||||
| 1.7 Pebble Meditation | Pebble Meditation Song | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 1.8 Stone Soup | Mealtime Meditation | Link | ||||
| 2.1 Family | Love Makes a Family | Link | Link | |||
| 2.2 Acts of Kindness | May You Be Happy | Link | Link | |||
| 2.3 Friends | May the Day Be Well | Link to full CD download | ||||
| 2.4 Circle of Kindness | Make New Friends | Link | Link | |||
| 2.5 Anger & Forgiveness | May My Mind Turn to Others (lullaby version) | Link | Link | |||
| 2.6 Difficult People | Respect Polka (Wow Wow Bow) | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 2.7 All Beings | Loving Kindness | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 2.8 Kindness around the World | I Am Free (Freedom of the Heart) | Link | ||||
| 3.1 Overview | The Five Precept Song | Link | Link | |||
| 3.2 Not Harming & Compassion | The Two Promises | Link | Link | Link to full CD download | ||
| 3.3 Not Stealing & Gratitude | Song of Gratitude | Link | ||||
| 3.3 Not Stealing & Gratitude | Gratitude | Link | ||||
| 3.3 Not Stealing & Gratitude | Grateful | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 3.4 Friendships | Happy Birthday, Buddha! | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 3.5 Harmful & Wise Speech | Seeds | Link | ||||
| 3.6 Wise Speech & Listening | Gatha for Listening to Bell | Link to full CD download | ||||
| 3.7 Healthy Choices | You Are What You Eat | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 4.1 Overview & Generosity | Give | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 4.2 The Golden Rule | The Golden Rule | Link | Link | |||
| 4.3 Patience | Just Breathe | Link | ||||
| 4.4 Effort | Small Doins’ | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 4.5 Learning from Difficulty | Peace Like a River | Link | ||||
| 4.6 Wisdom | No Coming, No Going | Link to full CD download | ||||
| 4.7 Equanimity | Doors Closing, Doors Opening | Link | ||||
| 4.7 Equanimity | Under That Bodhi Tree | Link | Link | Link | ||
| 4.7 Equanimity | Everything Will Be All Right | Link | Link | |||
| 5.1 Trees & Forests | I Love Nature | Link | Link | Link to full CD download | Link | |
| 5.2 Kindness for Trees | My Roots Go Down | Link | Link | |||
| 5.3 Kindness for Forests | Standing Like a Tree (Snatum Kaur version) | Link | ||||
| 5.3 Kindness for Forests | Standing Like a Tree (Betsy Rose version) | Link | Link | |||
| 5.4 Interbeing | We’ve Got the Whole World | Link | ||||
| 5.5 Reforestation | Planting a Seed of Peace | Link | Link | |||
| N/A | A Smile with Every Breath | Link | ||||
| N/A | Coming Back to Your Home | Link | ||||
| N/A | Peacefully Free | Link to full CD download | ||||
| N/A | The Metta Sutta | Link | ||||
| N/A | Free the Heart | Link | Link | |||
| N/A | I Am Sending You Light | Link | ||||
| N/A | Surrender | Link | ||||
| N/A | The Way of the Heart | Link | Link | |||
| N/A | The Way of the Heart (v2) | Link | Link | |||
| N/A | The River is Flowing | Link | Link | |||
| N/A | Thanks Be | Link | Link | |||
| N/A | Sangha ‘Round the Campfire (Metta Round) | Link | Link | Link | ||
| N/A | Let Go | Link | Link | Link | ||
| N/A | Kwanseum | Link | Link | Link | ||
| N/A | The Four Noble Truths | Link | Link | Link | ||
| N/A | Eyes of Light | Link | Link | |||
| Lyrics not in Songbook but Recommended | We All Need More Kindness in This World | Link | ||||
| Lyrics not in Songbook but Recommended | Metta for Music | Link |
Additional Music
Here are additional songs with excellent spiritual themes for all ages and communities. Note that the lyrics and guitar chords for additional music do not appear in the Sitting Together Songbook.
(On phones or small tablets, swipe left to see all the table columns.)
The Sitting Together Book Set has a Songbook with 58 songs, including lyrics and guitar chords. For the audio of each song, see the Songbook table above. Some of the songs also have hand and/or body movements, with details below.
Breathing In, Breathing Out
From mindfulfilms, with Lauren Kinnersley.
Video »
I Love Nature
The full version with hand motions.
Video »
My Mind Is a Clear Blue Sky
- Right hand crosses midline to touch left knee, then arcs up and over to the right like a rainbow.
- Repeat with left hand to right knee.
- Two hands/arms extended in front, soft fists, bouncing along like clouds.
- Repeat rainbow arcing right and left.
- (Same as above.)
- (Fingers extend in front, wiggle busily back and forth, or open and close fingers like a chattering bird.
- (Use your/their imagination from here on!)
- (Hands/arms extend forward like an embrace, and “scoop” air toward body.
- (Reverse process — release air away from body.)