Mindful Transitions
Energizing
Anchoring Exercise
1. Shake It Off Sit or stand in a comfortable position and make dramatic exhaling noises while shaking out your body. Feel yourself shaking off whatever you did before you got here. Shake off last week, last class, and anything else you want to recycle.
2. Giving Thanks to Others With palms facing down, notice this place we are in. Notice the colors, the smells, sounds, and the spot where you sit/stand. Imagine all the people who help to make the school a special place. Take your arms into a V in the air. Think of all the people in your class with you today and give them a smile.
3. I am Special As you exhale, bring your hands together above your head then bring you hands to your heart. Think or say, “there is no one in the world like me”.
4. Open Up In a sitting position, bring your hands to your thighs or knees, palms facing up. Be open to learning new things every day. You can learn something from each and every person you meet and every experience you have.
5. Be An Anchor Bring your palms face down on your thighs. Rock back and forth and imagine a big metal anchor that keeps the ship from drifting away, even in the biggest storms. Slowly open your eyes feeling excited about the next part of your day.
Chopping Wood
Take feet wider than hips distance apart with a slight bend to the knees. Interlace the fingers and inhale, taking the hands behind the head for a tricep stretch with bent elbows. Imagine a block of wood at your feet and chip it with a “ha!” sound from the belly. Repeat until the wood is chopped.
Frogs to Dead Bugs
Frogs: Stand with the heels together and toes pointing outward in a V-shape. Squat with the hands on the floor and heart lifted. Inhale here and exhale with a dramatic HA sound or RIBBIT. Repeat.
Dead Bugs: The children lie on their backs with knees bent into the chest and feet facing the sky. Arms are reaching up, wriggling furiously in an attempt to get right-side-up. When the teacher sprays them with an imaginary spray or a little spray bottle, they can get up.
Breath of Joy/ Sniffing Flowers
Use a three-part nose inhale, sniffing the flowers and moving the arms as an orchestra conductor. With spring-loaded knees, fold forward with a dramatic exhale through the mouth.
Calming Movement
Magical Forest
This is a great non-competitive game for teaching students balance. This can also be a transition to line-up. Before the game begins, teach students tree pose. Make suggestions for ways to help balance like focusing on a point that is not moving, getting into tree slowly, or spreading the toes wide. Ask students to notice if it works better to walk slowly or quickly in between tree poses.
Method:
1. Turn on music and have students walk around the room.
2. Students stop and freeze in tree pose when the music pauses at random times.
3. Encourage their efforts and also their wobbling or swaying if they aren’t perfectly still.
4. Begin again, balancing on the opposite foot. Which foot is easier for you to balance today?
5. Notice their efforts and encourage everyone’s unique way of balancing.
In the jungle
To the tune of Going to the Chapel by the Shirelles, instructor sings the song, starting simple, perhaps walking and singing. Always repeat the action word at least twice. Make up actions to go with the words you choose. For example, marching movements “Walkin’ in the Jungle” or act out singing into a microphone for singin’ in the jungle.
Walkin’ in the Jungle and we’re walkin’ in the jungle
Singin’ in the Jungle and we’re singin’ in the jungle
Dancing, hopping, whispering, juggling, skipping, clapping, clicking (fingers), hugging, jumping, working, typing, frowning, smiling, crying, pouting, whining
Musical Movement
Example: Watch the Stars, Leah Solomaa
Watch the stars, See how they Run
5-pointed star, shifting to one leg half-moon balance on each side
Triangle pose on each side
Watch the Wind, See how it blows
Swaying, feeling and moving the air
Twirling, moving the air
Pinwheel hands spinning up and down & blowing
Instrumental *Ask the group to imagine the gentleness of a sunrise
Make a circle with your hands at the belly, slowly rises to the sky, on your toes
Sun slowly sets out of sight, bending knees to sit down with legs extended
Watch the Moon, See how it Glows
Make a circle with your arms, rise the moon
Side to side for crescent moon or sliver of a moon
The moon sets into forward fold
Finding Stillness
Angels in the Sand/ Snow
Students lie on their backs and make snow angles on their mat. Encourage them to imagine the imprint their bodies make in the sand/snow and feel their body get heavier.
Body Scanning
Imagine there is an X-ray machine scanning your entire body. Lead the children in noticing all their body parts and the heaviness of the bones, from head to toes.
Inner Power Button
Children can lightly touch their finger to the point in between their eyebrows to stimulate their connection to their inner power, intuition, imagination and magical nature.
Power Minute
Hold a shell, stone, or imaginary precious jewel at your heart. Observe the texture, color, weight. Sit in stillness for one minute, gradually increasing the amount of time depending on the age level.
Other uses of stones:
Students can keep a stone in their pocket as a reminder that they can always find peace inside.
They can tell worries to the rock and send it outside.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Lie on belly and place right index finger on right nostril. Inhale through left nostril. Repeat on the other side.
Suggestions for Creating a Guided Imagery Experience
· Guided imagery can be taught with students lying down or sitting. Make sure you allow for enough time.
· Begin with simple physical cues to help students relax their bodies. Allow your eyes to softly close. Feel the breath coming in and out of your belly. Feel your forehead, jaw, and eyebrows relaxing.
· Choose a theme that makes you excited (example: ocean, forest, flying) You can choose something that the students have talked about. If your kids have shared that they wish they could fly, incorporate flying. There is no end to the types of experiences you can lead. In this place of imagining, ANYTHING is possible.
· Use language that appeals to all their senses including seeing, smelling, touching, tasting, hearing, and feeling. Sometimes imagery is called visualization, however many students do not see images but rather get a feeling about the experience.
· Speak slowly and clearly, and allow pauses or free time for them to have their own encounters without your influence. The real learning comes from the pauses (from inside them) and not from you.
· Watch their responses to determine the pace. If everyone is fidgeting and restless, are you going too slowly? If most children seem engaged, can you provide more pauses?
· Remember that moving and fidgeting are not signs they are disengaged.
· Lead them out of the experience using tiny movements first, followed by larger stretches. Many of them will pop up anyway, eager to share what they have experienced.
· If the group is small enough, consider passing a talking stick (only the person holding the stick can speak) or give children time to share their experiences.
Walking on Waves (example)
Do any wriggling or moving to get really comfy on the floor. Relax your face, shoulders, neck and jaw. Sense how smooth your eyelids are when you close your eyes softly. Let your forehead be smooth, and start to feel the breath moving in and out of your belly. Your belly moves up and down like waves on the ocean, constantly flowing without trying too hard. As you breathe in, a big wave comes up. As you breathe out, the wave gently rolls into the sand and disappears.
Now very slowly take you finger to the space in between your eyebrows and lightly press your inner power button. Relax your arm back down at your side, feeling safe, comfortable, and ready to go on a wonderful adventure.
Now imagine you are walking on a beautiful beach. You feel so comfortable walking in the sand and you love looking at the gentle waves. Ocean water is salty and you can smell and taste the salt in the air. Notice how strong and wise and peaceful you feel as you walk along the sand. It is a sunny day, but you don’t need sunscreen because this is a magic beach and you are protected in everything you do.
As you walk you notice a pair of special water shoes with your name on them. You are so excited to learn that these shoes are for walking on the waves! You slip them on and smile because they are your favorite color and they fit you perfectly. You try them out in the shallow water and find they work well. You can kick, splash, play or simply walk on these amazing waves without ever going underwater.
Feel your feet and ankles touching the frothy warm bubbles of the waves as you take carefree steps out on top of the magnificent ocean. Perhaps you can imagine the colors of the sand, sky, and sea. What sounds do you hear? [pause]
Now something wonderful happens. You feel your favorite water animal coming to play with you. This animal is so excited to be with you, but it is very polite so it asks you if its okay to come to you before it does. Now spend a few moments playing or being with your water friend. [pause] Is there anything your water friend wants you to know? Does it have a message for you? [pause]
Your water friend has to leave now, but it thanks you first for this special time and reminds you that you can play with it anytime you like in your dreams.
Is there anything else you would like to do on the waves today? [pause]
It is time to go now, so you walk back to the sandy shore and take off your magic shoes. They instantly transform into a different pair with another child’s name on it. It is time for someone else to have a turn walking on waves. With a warm and thankful feeling in your heart, you say good-bye to the ocean and the sandy beach. This experience will be with you forever, even if you forget the details.
As you are ready, begin to wiggle your fingers and toes or move your head from side to side. Small stretches turn into bigger stretches. When you’re ready, come back to sitting.
Yoga Techniques for the Classroom
(From HeartRise Yoga ™)
Power Shields & Energetic Protection Rituals for Children & Teens
Power Shields and protections are used to help us feel safe, more grounded, or to help when someone is upset with us and the situation is taking away our vital energy. When someone is ‘stealing’ our energy, we almost always have played a part in this, whether it is by not looking after ourselves, by having poor boundaries, or by not being in our personal power. These rituals can help us regain our power. These are never used as an act of anger or aggression toward another person. They only work if they are approached with loving firmness.
· Allow water to cleanse your energy. If not real water, imagining water being showered onto you.
· Blowing worries into a rock 3 times, then giving the rock back to nature, OR letting the sunlight cleanse the rock if you wish to keep it.
· Children with nightmares, night terrors, or difficulty sleeping: Zipping up energy like a sleeping bag.
· Re-boosting energy levels like Jumper Cables: Right hand on sacrum, left hand on crown. Switch hands. Repeat
· Liquid armor – “I am protected by the armor of light on every side. No harm I will give. No harm I will receive”
· Sweeping motions down the arms to shake off a negative situation or residue from someone’s energy signature that you wish to release.
· ‘Shake it off’
· Use any color for protection: white light surrounding the body for protection or ‘blazing the violet flame’ to transmute negative energy into the light
· Invisibility cloak – when you wish to have less attention drawn to yourself.
· Clapping your hands loudly around your body or in parts of a room that feels scary, dark or negative. Shifts energy or clears it.
· Scanning your body to notice if there are any places that your power is leaking out. ‘Plug’ these spots with the material they need most: cotton, putty, mesh, earth or steel.
· Imagine a circular field around your body, snapping with electricity for protection.
Classroom Relaxation Techniques
Before Testing
· Eye stretches
Students extend an arm in front of them and look at their thumb. Keeping the head perfectly still, guide the students to move the thumb in all directions while looking at it. Include up, down, corners, and circles. Switch thumbs to practice on the other side.
· Face Massage of Brain Massage
Students massage their fingertips into the muscles of the face, neck, and head. Have them pay special attention to the eyebrows and space in between them. Carefully guide students to massage under the eye on the orbital bone.