5 simple ways to share mindfulness with your kids during lockdown
We can’t deny that things are feeling tough here in lockdown 3.0. And if we are feeling it, we can guess that the kids around us are feeling it too in their own way. As a kids yoga teacher I love that I am able to not only get the kids to do yoga with me, but to teach them wellness techniques that they can take home and actually use in their everyday lives. I wanted to share my top 5 tips for sharing a little mindfulness with your young ones at home. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
1 . BREATHE
This is fun whatever age you are. Grab a big bag of feathers, or anything that is light enough to be blown away. Set them up at one end of a table and challenge them to blow all of the feathers across. You could even jump onto the other side and make it a competition. Their minds are focused, they are breathing deeply - win/win. Remember mindfulness is simply bringing our busy brains to focus on one thing at a time. So if you are focussing on flowing feather across a table, we are giving our busy brains a chance to rest. It is as simple as that.
2. MAGIC MASSAGE
Massage is so good for our nervous system and helps to really chill us out. Encourage them to give themselves a foot massage, or tapping the top of their heads, or even a hand massage to get rid of that tension from laptops/writing/home-schooling. Try adding some relaxing music from Spotify. Start by getting them rub their hands together as fast as they can to bring some feeling and warmth into the fingers. Then things can get as relaxing or as silly as you like. Squeezing ears, fingers, top of your head, anything they are comfortable with.
3. CREATE THE SPACE
We all love to create a special space to do yoga, in fact, it is the thing I am missing most about classes in yoga studios while we are in lockdown. The nice thing with online classes is that we can take time to create the perfect little yoga space in our homes. Candles, music, a lovely mat etc. Kids are exactly the same. Don’t be afraid to dim the lights and find the softest blanket. You could even use this as a special project to do together. Have a discussion about what kind of things make them feel relaxed, and then over time you can create this special space together. Think about smells, lighting, textures, warmth and anything else that pops to mind.
4. SHARE
Remind them that we are feel feelings. We all get angry/grumpy/sad/excited/anxious sometimes because we are human. That it is ok, but maybe we could use a little yoga to help lift our mood. I know when I am feeling bad, it always helps to know I am not alone, and to know that the people around me not only care but also understand how it feels. Remind your kids that you are only human, exactly like them. You could talk about what ‘colour’ you are feeling today, or if you were a song what kind of song would you be today ‘rock music’, classical etc etc.
5. BE OK WITH WHATEVER HAPPENS
Be aware that kids yoga doesn’t always look like grown-up yoga, and that is ok! Kids yoga can be loud, messy, chaotic, silly, wriggly, quiet, sleepy. Sometimes my classes are zen and quiet, sometimes we have full-on dance parties and make animal noises. If you stay present and spend a little time getting them to breathe and move - then that is just perfect.
Good luck and let me know how you get on - you’ve got this!
Becky
Becky is a kids yoga teacher & teacher trainer based in Oxford, England. She has sharing yoga, drama and dance with kids for over 10 years and is honoured to be able to empower young people with these skills.
Check out wwwlyogasocietybybecky.com to find out about upcoming trainings.