There is a strong connection between our body and mind. All of our mental and emotional tensions express themselves in our body. If we are not happy, if we are worried or anxious, we will feel it after a while in our back, shoulders or neck, in our digestion or as a headache. When we are stressed or sad our immune system becomes weaker and we are more susceptible to dis-eases. Being happy and relaxed is the best preventative medicine.
This is true for kids just as much as for adults. Kids do not have a stress-free life – try to see the world through their eyes and you will understand that.
It is very difficult to release the tension directly from the mind. If we just tell someone “Hey! What’s your problem? Just chill.” It doesn’t really help, right? But because the body and mind are so connected, if we release the tension from the body, the mind relaxes too. It is easier to do it through the body.
We release physical (and therefore also mental) tension through stretching in the yoga poses, through breathing deeply, through playing… but lying down, being still and letting go is the best and quickest way to relax this tension.
When we combine guided imagery with the physical relaxation, not only does the relaxation become more interesting and fun, but also its effects penetrate deeper. By using our imagination, we can easily influence and even completely change our emotions and our body.
When we experience the world using our senses, all the information comes through these channels into our brain and being interpreted and presented to us there – the real experience is really happening in our mind. When we are engaged in imagination or guided imagery we actually create an experience in our mind, so our brain and our body respond in the same way as if these experiences were really happening.
The inner images we create during guided imagery have a tremendous response on many emotional and physiological levels – this is the reason they are such a powerful tool in creating a positive change. When using visualization and imagine ourselves to be in a peaceful, pleasant and beautiful environment, our mind and body respond by relaxing.
Nowadays, based on this principles, many sports professionals, business people, and even army personnel use guided imagery to create positive mental patterns, relax, and improve performance.
At Rainbow Kids Yoga we end almost every class with relaxation and guided imagery. The first challenge is always to have the kids stop all activities and just lie down and relax! If the class was exiting and intensive, they will be happy to rest and be quite for a few moments. If the energy is too high for relaxation, try to play a meditative game (see page #) prior to the relaxation or otherwise use one of the techniques offered below. After a few classes, the kids learn to enjoy the relaxation and guided imagery and will be anticipating it eagerly.
The relaxation can take anywhere between one minute to ten minutes, depending on the age and mood of the kids.
Fun Ways to Relax!
1. Lemonade. Just before you lie down and relax, you can make and drink some lemonade… Sit hugging your knees to your chest and balancing on your butt. Now squeeze the lemon really hard, making a super sour smushy face. Squeeze your body into the smallest lemon ever and then let the lemon burst as your hands and legs fly out to the side and you roll to lie on your back. Repeat a few times.
2. Spaghetti Test. Have you ever seen uncooked spaghetti? It is very stiff and inflexible. But what happens if you cook it? That’s right – it becomes soft and flexible. If you lift it will move in any direction you will want it to. And that’s what you want your legs and arms to be able to do when you relax.
Divide the kids into groups of two and have one partner be like a cooked spaghetti while the other will be the Italian chef who will check if the spaghetti in done. The chef will lift one spaghetti arm or leg at a time, and will very gently check if the pasta is “soft” by wiggling it a bit and even letting it drop (to see if the spaghetti is really relaxed and does not resist). The spaghetti partner should just pretend to be asleep and not help the chef lift up his arms or legs nor resist. When they are sure that the spaghetti is ready, they can switch roles.
3. Escalator breath. In this exercise we all (except the first person on the escalator) lie with our head on the belly of the friend before us. We breathe deeply and feel how we lift and lower our friend’s head with our belly as we breathe, and how the same is happening to our head on the belly of the friend before us. We close our eyes and we listen and feel the breath moving like waves, helping us go deeper into the relaxation.
And much, much more...