This Mindful Moment will help children find some inner peace and quiet when someone — or something — is bugging them.
This simple yoga activity will guide you through some steps they can take when something is bugging them. It’s like building your own personal mosquito netting so that you can sit and breathe in peace.
Stand wide
Stand with feet a bit wider than you normally stand, but so that your feet a firm on the ground (your legs will be in a bit of a triangle.)
Twist and turn
Start to twist the upper part of your body from side to side and swing your arms from one side to the other. You may even make soft fists and let them gently tap the parts of your body they bounce into. (This can also be done in a seat without armrests — the motion will be more of a twist from side to side.) Do this for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Breathe and draw your circle
Let your body slow down and then stand still, with your arms hanging by your sides. With an “in” breath, raise your arms slowly out to each side and overhead. As you breathe out, slowly lower them back down. Do this 3-4 times, as if you are drawing a great big circle around your body with your arms.
Cool down
Take a seat and, once you feel settled, start to count as you breathe in to the count of three (1, 2, 3). As you breathe out, count down from three (3, 2, 1). Keep this up for a minute or two, and the things that were bugging you should seem less “buggy”!