The following poem, Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson, demonstrates resilience as well as possibility. It also helps us see how mindfulness can help us have more choice in how we respond to life. May we all experience more choice as we move forward!
A Versatile, Adaptable Way to FocusHand rhythms require sustained, focused concentration. We truly do have to pay attention. The minute we overthink it, we lose that flow — but that’s okay because we just begin again. Making mistakes, experiencing the joy of being wrong, can transform us. When synchronicity happens, we feel grounded and at ease, if only until the next mistake!
Hand rhythms are so versatile. If I start clapping when kids are mentally exhausted, it often restores wakefulness. Rhythm can be a helpful segue to settle high-energy kids before moving into a quieter lesson. And rhythms are a practice of mindful movement, a game that stands on its own.
Clapping patterns are very adaptable. The same sequence can be slowed down, simplified, or taught in parts. They can be explored in rounds or gradually made increasingly difficult. Partner clapping is a fun, natural next step. Change the lyrics to be more relevant to the age group, population, season, or moment.
Developing Community and Cognitive SkillsOnce students learn hand rhythms, they’ll use them spontaneously. Children sit around clapping together and teaching others who do not know them. Seeing this inspires me, especially in our media-saturated society. So many games are competitive, but hand clapping encourages cooperative effort and unification.
In addition to fun and focus, rhythmic games have a positive effect on cognition. Research shows that they increase hand eye coordination, body awareness, proprioception, memory, and reasoning skills.
Hand rhythms are not just for kids. Adults have great fun with them too. If it’s challenging for you to play with kids, these patterns might help you connect with more ease. The reward is great: there’s something about playful presence that lights up a kid’s face and heart.
Just finished this amazing, inspiring book. Some of the best sentences - with my own translation - sorry - below!
"Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves. "
"Imagine how many chances you had, over a billion, to meet your friends, your family? Are you aware of this miracle, every day? These moments are short. Really short. Don't spoil them in unnecessary blames, rebukes. Don't waste time with anger."
" We can cover our loved ones with gifts, but nothing is more precious than showing them the way to joy and freedom".
"I wish the length of your practice is the length of your life"
"Before meeting with my children every morning, I remind myself the importance of being joyful, kick off the day with jokes, happy mood, smiles".
2017 Resolution: commit to one thing, and do it well! Every Wednesday, I'll admire the beautiful sunrise during the awakening Hatha class, at 6.30am! www.soyoga.com.sg
Never too early to start meditating... A few techniques here to start with, or just to help relaxing your littles ones!
BUBBLE FUN
Tell your child to imagine they are blowing bubbles. Take in a deep breath and slowly blow out bubbles in to the room. As you blow out the bubbles, tell you child to imagine they are special bubbles that fill the room with calm. This game will help your toddler to develop deep breathing skills that form the basis of many later meditations and relaxation strategies.
BALLOONS
This is another game that will develop deep and regular breathing skills. Tell your child to imagine that you are blowing up a big balloon. Take in a deep breath and blow into the balloon steadily. Ask your child to breathe in deep from their tummy. Imagine the balloon is getting bigger and bigger. Now ask your child to imagine the balloon is floating away into the air. Let your child know that when he is feeling angry, blowing up the balloon can help him to feel calmer.
BUTTER ON TOAST
Butter on toast helps children learn to relax their muscles. Ask your child to lie on the floor and pretend that they are a piece of butter melting into a slice of toast. Ask them to focus on their whole body sinking into the floor. Say things like ‘Isn’t this nice, my body feels so relaxed.’ This game is best used at home or in a place where it is okay to lie on the floor!
YAWN AND STRETCH
When we are stressed we tend to take short shallow breaths. Yawning forces the body to relax by taking a deep breath and slowing down your breathing. Stretching elongates the muscles which helps them to stop tensing in response to stress. Teach your child that when they are feeling agitated they can yawn and stretch to help calm themselves back down. Model doing a big silly yawn and a dramatic stretch. When you spot a tantrum arising begin to do a silly yawn to remind them to calm themselves back down.
SCRIBBLE RELAXATION
This is a simple but effective exercise. When your toddler seems to be feeling anxious or angry, get two plain pieces of paper and some crayons. Play calm music in the background and ask your toddler to take some deep breaths before beginning. Ask ‘If you were a color right now, what color would you be’?. You might want to give your toddler examples, for example, ‘You might be feeling black, like a sad rain cloud’. Tell your child that this is a special time for scribbling. Say things like,’ scribble away the stress. It doesn’t matter what the scribble looks like this time, you don’t have to color in the lines, feel the angry feelings coming from your body, through your arms and on to the paper’. When your toddler has finished, turn over the paper and say that now we have got our anger out, we can do a relaxing picture. Encourage them to breathe in and out and show them how to do light movements in a swirly pattern.
