A Story For When Your Child Is Sad From Kratu The Rescue Dog
Kratu at Crufts, 2018
We love that we can share the first of a new series with you, from the amazing Kratu: Crufts Star, Therapy Dog, Romanian Rescue Dog and just all around sweetheart. Kratu shot to fame as a result of his adorable antics at Crufts, and has been bringing joy to millions worldwide since. He is described as “The unlikely underdog who touched hearts worldwide. Advocate and Ambassador for Rescue. Autism Awareness, Assistance dogs, and Kind Reward based Training.” Kratu lives in Cambridgeshire now with his human Tess, after being rescued from horrible conditions at a camp in Romania. He has conquered so much and is now on a mission to spread kindness everywhere through his campaign #BeKindLikeKratu.
“His journey shows what can happen with rescue, kindness, reward based training and unconditional love. Dare to dream. It can happen.” ~ Tess
We believe Kratu is an inspiration and it’s why we reached out to him, so he could offer tips and stories on how to work through life challenges, all of which are very mindful too! The first story from Kratu, is advice for children who feel sad. Parents, please feel free to read the story below from Kratu, for when your child needs it! (Notice the theme of gratitude, and nature.)
A Story For When You’re Feeling Sad, from Kratu
“My mum feels sad a lot. So I know about this. I sit next to her and let her feel her feelings. It’s okay to feel sad. It’s the opposite to happy. It’s a natural balance and having one means you can have the other too. It’s important to understand why you feel sad. Sometimes it’s because of things that happen, other people, unkind words, unkind actions towards us. Many things can cause sadness. We cannot change some things. So we can accept them, feel them and say it’s okay I am feeling this… and after a little while get up and do something else.
My mum takes me for a walk, or gives me a hug. Letting go of heavy feelings/energy ( like sadness ) is important. Going out into the sunshine can make things feel lighter. Sitting on the ground with your back against a tree. Smelling some flowers. Nature always helps my mum. She always says thank you to nature after she feels better again. Appreciate and be grateful for the good things. That's a wonderful way to change any thinking of heavy sad things to happier lighter ones.
Think of all the good things that are in your life, warm bed, roof over your head, food when you are hungry, fresh water, clean clothes, books, toys appreciating and being grateful for somethings we can take for granted is very important. Gratitude can bring peace and happiness. The best attitude is gratitude! … We are the ones who can make a change with how we feel by doing something else and then after a little while, you have forgotten the sadness and are happy again.”
Thank you Kratu for this amazing story and advice that parents and caretakers can read to their little ones and even read for themselves! We’d also like a share a special super power yoga pose you can do with your child, to help refocus after feeling sad. It’s called “Downward Dog” and here’s Kratu showing how it’s done!
Kratu shows how to do Downward Dog (Photo courtesy of Rob Dumbrell).
Here are some tips from Jen regarding Downward Dog, and how it can help you:
A SPECIAL SUPER POWER: DOWNWARD DOG TO HELP YOU RECHECK IN WITH YOURSELF AND GROUND YOU
Taking 5 long slow breaths in downward facing dog pose is a great way to check-in with your body and breath.
Feel your hands placed firmly onto the ground, spread your fingers, and bring your heels towards the floor- you are supported by the earth below, as always.
If you feel stressed, anxious, or tense, take a child's pose and when ready press up into downward facing dog- feel grounded, feel calm, feel strong.
Be playful with your downward dog, especially in your first of the day, lift your heels and lower them, pedal your heels out, lift one leg and lower, bend your knees then straighten-explore what feels good today in your downward facing dog pose.
Set an intention in your practice, and remind yourself of this in your downward facing dog pose.
“My mission is to share kindness, make people laugh and smile. To help people. What's important in life is having and giving unconditional love, finding joy and happiness in the things I do and sharing that with others. I love to make people happy. It’s important to live each day the best way you can. Some days are hard work and some are wonderful. What is important is to keep moving forward whether very slowly one step at a time or at a great fast run. Just keep moving forward at the pace that you can manage.” - Kratu
Thank you for sharing this story Kratu! You can follow more of Kratu’s adventures on his Twitter. We will have more from Kratu soon!
