Today is one of YogaBugs’ favourite days of the year… National Relaxation Day! Children can live extremely active lives at their young age, with bags and bags of energy – leading to a hectic time of moving from activity to activity, with no time to relax.
It is vitally important for children to learn to relax, as this helps them to control their moods and behaviour – feeling calmer, more settled and allowing them to find a quiet and peaceful place inside them.
Breathing and relaxation techniques are excellent for children to learn at a young age, which they can then be able to use as they grow up in other potential situations, which may involve stress, fears, or even asthma or panic attacks.
Forming the basis of simple meditation, relaxation techniques are typically easy to teach to children. They can also encourage children’s imagination, by allowing them to block everything else out of their mind and relieve any negative feelings or emotions.
Here are some tips to help your child relax, as well as ways to help them during relaxation techniques:
- Encourage children to make their bodies feel heavy as they lie on the floor.
- Tell them to completely relax their muscles – a useful way to do this is by telling them to imagine their bodies were made of jelly, releasing any muscle tension.
- Use calming music in the background.
- Use easy and detailed descriptions of the relaxation technique you are using.
- Allow them to take all their thoughts in and release any that may prevent them from relaxing.
- Use a real life example – take them back to a place in their mind when they felt happy.
Another simple breathing and relaxation technique you can teach to your children is our simple finger breathing exercise, which can be viewed below.
Remember, it is also important to relax yourself! While relaxation techniques may be taught in a child friendly way – it is extremely beneficial to join in with your child, or even find time yourself to try them – not just on National Relaxation Day, but whenever you feel the need to!
