Last Tuesday I wrote a bit about shaking as a way to release stress. One thing I didn’t mention is that stress can sometimes make us feel tired and other times it can make us feel tired.
Kids get wired and then they get tired, too! They have their own set of childhood stresses. Even if it seems like all your kid does is play all day, just growing up and developing can be sort of stressful. While kids are figuring the world (and themselves) out, they might get overtired, forget to potty, or not realize they are hungry until they are hangry. We adults do it, too, we just often think that what we fill our days with is more important and urgent.
Whatever the specific cause of our kids’ meltdowns or resistance, chances are that if you take a second to shake off that tension with your kids, you’ll feel better at the same time you share with them the very important life skill of noticing and transforming their stress.
But how do you help kids notice and deal with their stress when they are either worked up or worn out? Capture their imagination! If we want our kids to learn the grown-up skill of emotional regulation, we sometimes can stand to put our ‘play hats’ and approach things in a childlike frame of mind.
Here are some of my favorites:
Imagine you are standing on jello or a bog (or something else cushy and squishy). Do a little sequence of standing poses but in a wiggly waggly way, as if you were standing on unsteady ground. Ham it up by adding some dramatic, “whoa’s” and “uh-oh’s.” When everyone seems ready to take a break, come down to child’s pose or savasana for a few slow, deep breaths.
Similar to the activity in #1, imagine it is a very windy day. Do a few yoga postures or a sun salutation as if practicing in a very open, windy spot. It could be fun to find a soundtrack of wind sounds for added effect. Bonus: do wind breath and have your littles make a shhhh or hooooo sound on every exhale.
Do some yoga poses and as you breathe, flutter the lips on the exhale. Try it a few times...or a dozen. Okay, you might not get them to stop as soon as you want. Warning: you might even watch the whole ordeal devolve into fart sounds instead of lip flutters:)
One of my favorite practices is bee breath (bhramari). This can be done as a hum on the exhale or a buzz through closed teeth. It might be fun to try both and see how they feel different! See the photo below for more detailed guidance.
Number 1 and 2 might work best when kids are wired while number 3 and 4 can be more appropriate when they’re tired. At least that’s my opinion based on my experience, but play around with it and see what you think. Have fun!
Every Friday I’ll post ideas and inspiration for practicing yoga with kids and every Tuesday I’ll share a micropractice that helps busy moms (and dads and kids, and really anyone) to incorporate brief yoga practices into their day. Here’s the post to kick off this biweekly series that will last until the end of the year!