Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/329829
MiNdFulNESS ExErCiSES deeP-beLLY breatHing (ageS 4+) TooLS needed Hoberman sphere slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure, deep breathing increases attention, decreases stress and anxiety and sharpens the mind's ability to focus and learn. begin by practicing one to three minutes. SCriPT • sit up straight in your chair with your shoulders back. • Watch the sphere as it expands and collapses. • begin taking deep breaths along with the sphere, inhaling as it grows and exhaling as it shrinks. • Focus on filling up your lungs with air and then pushing all the air out. • imagine breathing in happy thoughts and breathing out all the sad or scary thoughts. bodY scan (ageS 4+) TooLS needed a mat, or comfortable spot to lie down a body scan fosters emotional awareness. it helps children (and adults) become more adept at recognizing emotions and how they trigger feelings in their bodies. begin by practicing two to five minutes. SCriPT • Lay down in a comfortable position on the floor, with your arms resting gently on the ground and your eyes closed. • Picture a light of your favorite color glowing above you. • Listen to the sound of my voice. Let all of the other sounds in the room fade away. • Picture the colored light glowing in your feet. Feel their weight as they rest on the ground. notice the position of your feet and the sensations inside your feet. • move your way up, calling attention to each part of the body for a few seconds, asking participants to focus their thoughts only there. Health and Wellness Magazine • 55 Frustrated, Race considered turning back but instead decided to ask her daughter how they might practice mindfulness. They began by concentrating on the sounds—a gurgling river, chirping birds, scampering dogs. Then they observed the sights and smells they encountered along the trail. By the end of the hike, they had walked farther than planned and both felt uplifted, grounded by the mindfulness practice, an exercise that has become commonplace in the Race household. "Just five minutes a day will make a big difference," says Race, who recounts the above adventure in her book Mindful Parenting: Simple and Powerful Solutions for Raising Creative, Engaged, Happy Kids in Today's Hectic World. "But, if you don't have a consistent mindfulness practice, it's difficult to call upon in the heat of the moment." It was the threshold of summer, and child psychologist Kristen Race was delighted to spend the day hiking with her 6-year-old daughter. Less enthused, Macy began listing her grievances almost immediately: achy legs, pebbles in her shoes, the possibility of a bee sting. "Mindfulness exercises strengthen certain structures in our brains, making them stronger, more efficient and easier to use."