Body rock involves gently rocking the body back and forth to calm the nervous system. Have your child lie flat on the floor. Use a yoga mat or lie on a soft carpet for increased comfort. Don't use a pillow to obstruct air flow or to place the neck in an unnatural...
This is the time of year when educators and students alike can feel stress, stress from the looming changes associated with wrapping up the year and preparing for the less structured summer months. Following are a few simple stretching activities that teachers and...
Last weekend, as the weather turned into spring, I turned my back patio into a labyrinth activity center. My children and I created a heart-shaped spiral and a simple circular spiral labyrinth with sidewalk chalk and began to walk. Paying attention to our in-breath...
I tell children when they are feeling overly stressed and tense, that it is just a sign that we need to release some stuck energy and re-establish calm feelings. One way to do that is through hand yoga or mudras. These are easy hand signals that can be used at any...
Teaching children to relax begins by helping them to understand the difference between feeling tense and feeling relaxed. We can do this by playing tense/relax games. Showing them the difference between being very relaxed and very tense can be fun and engaging. 1. ...
When our bodies are feeling tense and we need to take a break, it is fun to build a massage snake. Instruct everyone to sit in a "curvy snake line" and place your hands gently on the shoulders of the person in front of you. Then guide the "snake" participants in the...
The brain is made up of two hemispheres that are responsible for different functions. When the right and left hemispheres are communicating competently, we experience integrated thought related to higher level thinking, problem-solving and creativity. When we are...
