Ms. Lori

As we teach our children to succeed in academics, music, sports, and the arts do we think to teach them how to relax? As competition and stress become greater factors in our children’s lives, how do we expect our children to maintain a healthy balance in living? Simple rest and “relaxation” (or even sleep) are not enough to clear the mind of busy thoughts and childhood worries. The body may rejuvenate physically but the mind continues to work if not properly trained to rest. Clearing / resting the mind helps to increase creativity, self-control, and attention skills.  Even dreams become more coherent and calm when one know how to relax .

Yoga poses can be beneficial in teaching your child to relax. The breathing techniques integrated with the physical stretching encourages further relaxation. The stretches increase flexibility, body awareness, and coordination in your child. As the body is allowed to physically relax, so is the mind allowed to become clear of thought,  focused simply on the body / pose.

Various yoga poses from www.parents.com can be googled under “yoga for children” and an audio showing a brief relaxation activity can be viewed on www.yogakids.com   I have copies of poses and how to teach them in my office as well.

Try some of these poses with your family at home and discover the pleasure and personal growth in being a more relaxed family.

Warmly,

Ms. Lori 

As we teach our children to succeed in academics, music, sports, and the arts do we think to teach them how to relax? As competition and stress become greater factors in our children’s lives, how do we expect our children to maintain a healthy balance in living? Simple rest and “relaxation” (or even sleep) are not enough to clear the mind of busy thoughts and childhood worries. The body may rejuvenate physically but the mind continues to work if not properly trained to rest. Clearing / resting the mind helps to increase creativity, self-control, and attention skills.  Even dreams become more coherent and calm when one know how to relax .

Yoga poses can be beneficial in teaching your child to relax. The breathing techniques integrated with the physical stretching encourages further relaxation. The stretches increase flexibility, body awareness, and coordination in your child. As the body is allowed to physically relax, so is the mind allowed to become clear of thought,  focused simply on the body / pose.

 Various yoga poses from www.parents.com can be googled under “yoga poses for children” and an audio showing a brief relaxation activity can be viewed on www.yogakids.com

Try some of these poses with your family at home and discover the pleasure and personal growth in being a more relaxed family.

Warmly,

Ms. Lori 

Anxiety usually occurs from worrying about what “might” happen in a situation. Too often we rehearse “worst-case” scenarios regarding what we may do or say and how others may react or respond. A worrisome thought is followed by an anxious feeling, than another thought, and another feeling…until we become continuously stressed (physically and emotionally). Over a period of time these thoughts and feelings can become a part of who we are. Invisible (unconscious to us), they start to control our behaviors, and consequently our lives, without us noticing we have handed our power over to them.

When we feel anxious, it is not the event (or issue) at hand bothering us but the way we have interpreted the event.  Our individual “perceptions” are the source of our anxieties.  This is how one child may be so excited and happy for the new school year while another is more tenative and resistant to the unknown (different personalities consist of habits of making different perceptions in life). 

The trick to controlling anxious feelings and other negative emotional habits that do not serve us is to change our perceptions. This must be done “emotionally” (intrinsically) not intellectually (cognitively). This can be done by replacing the anxious/negative habit with an emotional habit that is better for us and the situation. For example, think of all the positive things in any given situation - the positive possiblities with a new teacher, new friends, and higher grade level.  Also, when the anxiety arises, we can think of something that evokes a positive feeling making us feel content/happy, secure, and at peace with ourselves and our lives.

A “highly” anxious kindergarten student may be more comfortable bringing a picture of her family with her to school to put up in her cubby (please consult with the teacher first) for the first week of school until other positive events are experienced at school (making new perceptions for her).

Making up a social story at home is helpful in soothing anxious children. With fictional characters (often in animal forms), make up a story about the anxious situation and have the child give positive responses to the stressful situation. The child can draw the picture of the story while the parent writes the words. A realistic story with a happy ending not only encourages more positive feelings about the event, but offers an opportunity for the parent to teach the child new social skills and coping techniques for the ”anxiously perceived” event. 

We make our own stories/realities in life by how we perceive our surroundings, and with practice, we can learn to change those perceptions at will. How wonderful it is to be able to change a stressful situation into a positive event and create more opportunity for positive feelings, personal growth, and academic learning, making life that much more enjoyable!