Contributor:
Marneta Viegas
Use the following technique to help your class (or yourself!) become more relaxed throughout your day:
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine your whole body is becoming as light as a feather. Wiggle your toes and imagine that they are becoming so light they start to float into the air. Let them drift upwards. And now try to feel as if your legs are turning into feathers. Your legs feel so light now. Can you feel them starting to drift upwards? They are no longer heavy but soft and light. Now feel your tummy becoming soft and light. Let your tummy be soft and relaxed. Feel your chest becoming soft and light like a feather. Enjoy this feeling as your body slowly gets lighter and lighter.
Feel your arms becoming light. Let your fingers gently relax and float upwards. Feel them floating in the air. Finally, let your head be light. Feel all the tension melt away as your head becomes soft and light. Now your whole body is as light as a pile of feathers. You feel soft and relaxed. Slowly allow your body to float upwards and see how light you can be. The lighter you are, the higher you will float …
Keep repeating to yourself I am as light as a feather. I am light, I am light and watch how high you can float. Stay up in the air enjoying this lovely feeling of lightness until you are ready to drift down again.
And now, when you are ready, wiggle your fingers and toes, have a big stretch and open your eyes.
Other ideas are available below…
Sleepy Starfish
Lie down on your back with your legs and arms apart. Stay very still and imagine you are a sleepy starfish resting at the bottom of the ocean. Breathe in, and as you breathe out, relax your arms. Breathe in and as you breathe out, relax your legs, breathe in and as you breathe out relax your head. See how still you can be at the bottom of the ocean, resting like a sleepy starfish. Repeat to yourself, “I am silent, I am silent…”.
Squeeze and Relax
Take in a deep breath, and as you breathe in, squeeze all the muscles in your body. Now, breathe out and relax all the muscles in your body.
Repeat this exercise 2 or 3 times…
Bubble Breaths
Imagine you are blowing bubbles of peace or happiness or love into the room…
Take a breath and imagine you have a pot of bubble liquid. Slowly and gently blow bubbles into the room. As you blow out the bubbles, imagine they are filled with peace, and the whole room is filling up with peace. Do you feel peaceful?
Elastic Band
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine your body is a piece of elastic. Just relax to start with and enjoy being a floppy piece of elastic. Allow your legs to be floppy and relaxed, let your arms be floppy and relaxed, let your stomach be floppy and relaxed and finally, let your neck and head be floppy and relaxed. Now very slowly, imagine someone is very gently tugging your head and someone else is pulling your feet at the same time. And the elastic is becoming tighter. Your muscles are becoming more taut. Your whole body is getting longer and longer. Enjoy this wonderful stretching feeling as you are growing longer. Then … ping….let all the muscles in your body relax as the elastic band is released. Relax back to being a floppy bendy piece of elastic again. Enjoy this wonderful feeling of being totally relaxed and floppy.
Big Balloon
Close your eyes, be very still and imagine that you are holding a big balloon. It is very light. It feels very smooth. The balloon is in your favourite colour. Now hold the bottom of your balloon, and feel the balloon gently rising into the sky. Each time you breathe in and out, you gently glide further and further into the warm summer sky. The deeper your breath is, the further you can travel. Enjoy this feeling of weightlessness. Enjoy the feeling of being completely free. Your body feels weightless and free, and your mind feels totally free.
For more relaxation ideas, visit www.relaxkids.com.