Practicing to be Santa!
Practicing to be Santa!
The act of giving is a big one for children to discover. It truly can become an art — but to get to that point we have to do a lot of practicing. It’s like practicing to be Santa!
Artful Giving
When you were a child do you remember ever having that moment when you were supposed to give someone else a gift that you really wanted to keep for yourself? That was a big one — to go through that experience and then to realize that once we got over the trauma and drama, we really could feel good about it. It was the memory of the “feeling good” that created the space for more of the same to occur. And from there, the pattern of artful giving was shaped.
Experiencing Joy in our Bodies
The journey to feeling good and experiencing joy is one that is super important. All parts of our bodies (physical, mental, and emotional) want to be happy and be in a place of energetic balance and harmony. A body that is in balance doesn’t have to work so hard to not have unhappiness or stress or anxiety. It just more easily moves to that place — without effort!
Once the pattern for “feeling good” is part of our make-up, the body will find ways to be there — including that place of “giving just because it feels good.” And, let’s face it — this is the time of year to feel really good about giving because it’s such a big part of the holiday season.
To help your children more easily discover that “I want to give” mode and be like Santa, try these energy tips:
- Gently cup middle fingers to help let go of frustration. (Helps let go of frustration, including any that is about giving when “I don’t want to”).
- Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest. (Helps bring in breath which will let go of any anxiety. Anxiety can come from being uncomfortable with what is happening which will cause breath holding).
- Hold right fingers at area of heart and hold left fingers at base of ribcage. (Helps connect feelings of happiness and love with breath).
- Hold right fingers on left cheek and hold left fingers below left collarbone. (Helps with ability to fully express feelings, thoughts, words).
Doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow on a daily basis can go a long way to helping your children be happy and healthy. That will create a firm foundation. The extra energy tips create even more “letting go and finding balance.”
Enjoy the season! And have fun giving and being Santa!
Getting Centered and Feeling Better
Have you ever noticed that when you feel “out-of-sorts” you might just need to take a break from what you’re doing? Sometimes if you switch up where you are, you can quickly change your perspective too. For me, I often just need to walk outside and literally smell the roses. Yes, I’m “smelling the different air” and in reality I’m putting myself in a different environment that allows my brain and my senses to make different connections and create a new way of being in that instant. And when I’m really in a stuck place, getting dirty in the garden is more often than not the perfect solution for me!
Kids have the very same need as we do to make a quick shift from blah to better. Emotions and feelings and that sensation of “I don’t know why I feel this way, but I do” can often be so all-encompassing that they can literally take over and cause a “no rational thought can even happen in this space.” When that happens to a child, you can make a big difference by helping them create new habits and patterns.
When you notice that your child and/or student is really having a rough time, create a diversion which can help them get unstuck and experience a different way of being. Be supportive of what your child is experiencing and validate what is being felt. You just might help create the moment when they realize they can be in control of their own energy and the way they feel — a true moment of empowerment.
Hit the Reset Button
Some possible diversions that can trigger a reset are:
- Come up with a favorite outside activity, like “want to go ride your bike?”
- Or “Let’s go for walk. I could really use a break.”
- “Will you help me_______?” (choose something you know your child loves to do)
- And one of my absolute favorite suggestions is to do the Daily Clean Your House Flow or at the very least the Jumper Cables, which is the last step of the Daily Flow.
When we bring a daily practice of energy balancing into our lives, the body “knows what it feels like.” It will more easily go to that place of being in balance and being centered as soon as you start doing some of the energy poses.
Case in point – I was having a rough day last weekend. Old feelings of loss came up when I was spending time with an old friend who knew my husband and me when we were in college. I could tell that I had “lost my center” so I went down to the garden and spent some quiet time doing some energy work. Within a few minutes, I could feel my breath expand and I could feel myself becoming okay with where I am now. I got back in touch with “being in the moment.”
It doesn’t matter how old we are or what we’ve experienced, sometimes we just need to change up the pattern and give ourselves a reset.
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School Daze
School is right around the corner! Now how can that be happening already? As a parent, you might be noticing the kids having some anxious moments as the first day gets closer. And, as a teacher, you are probably recognizing that there will be a few of your students who are nervous and a bit unsure of what to expect.
So, it’s easy to help them be better prepared, whether it’s the weeks before or those first days.
Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow! Many of you already know how to do it, but are you aware that your kids can follow it via an animation video? Check out the trailer video on www.dailycleanyourhouseflow.com.
Tips for Productive, Confident Kids
Here are a few tips to help let go of those nervous, anxious moments and to even prevent them! Show your kids and they can do it for themselves. It’s all about learning how to become a partner with your own body. And if we make it an easy process, we’ll do it – whether we’re young or older!
- Right hand – cup your sternum directly below the collarbone
- Left hand – hold your fingertips in a vertical pattern on your tummy.
- Right hand – hold your fingertips on the outside of the right knee
- Left hand – hold fingertips on the outside of the left knee.
Let me know how your kids are doing! I love hearing the results and the stories!
Breath Makes the World Go Round – Even for Kids!
Originally posted on Health at Your Fingertips blog.
Children Can Let Go of Stress and Be Happier
Stress can show up in lots of ways in our bodies. As adults we can often see what that looks like and feels like. What’s sad is how many children in our world are experiencing stress. Have you noticed a young person who is experiencing loss of energy, sleeplessness, extreme up and down emotions, chronic illness (even just ongoing colds), or inability to stay on track and focused? THESE are early symptoms of stress. What’s super sad is how many children get so stressed that they end up in the throes of anxiety and even develop respiratory and digestive issues.
I see these early signals of stress in so many of the children I work with. Their parents want to help them change that picture which is why they come to see me. What’s beautiful is that their bodies “decide” they don’t have to create the bigger issues. Instead, their bodies recognize that they don’t have to respond to the stress and the stressful moments that are in the world around us.
So, what to do? The trick is to let go of stress build up and “create” a body that doesn’t experience symptoms of stress. It’s all about getting the energy to flow and helping the breath be open and expansive. When the body is more open to receiving the inhale and letting go on the exhale, there is ability for the body to create the space for a healthier way of being. The children I work with recognize huge changes taking place when they do the Daily Clean Your House Flow. And many of them do it more than once a day — because they notice that their body is happier.
Here are some of the comments that I’m hearing from the children in my life:
“I’m going to sleep as soon as I go to bed.”
“When I wake up it’s easier to get ready for school.”
“I’m not falling asleep at my desk or when I’m studying.”
“I’m not missing school because I’m not getting sick like I used to.”
“I’m getting more done and getting better grades.”
“I’m not getting in fights with my brother.”
“I’m getting along better with my friends and we’re having more fun.”
So, folks — our bodies are hungry to be in balance no matter what our age! And our bodies want breath to be happening — easily, consistently and expansively. Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow whenever your body asks for it. Remember: “There is no such thing as too much self-help!”
Happy Kids Make for Happy Lives for Everyone!
Originally posted on Health at Your Fingertips blog.
It’s summer time! And life is super full — especially if you have children in your life. Whether you’re a parent or a grandparent or a caregiver or a teacher in hiatus — some portion of some days are spent keeping those kids happy. Happy means that they are active with something that keeps their attention and that they are content with what is happening. All of requires that they are content within their bodies. What on earth do I mean by that??!!
Content within our bodies means that our bodies are in a place of ease and balance, that our bodies are energetically prepared for what we’re going to ask them to do and prepared for what might come at them. THAT means we will have clarity and focus, ease in actual physical movement and ease in creative expression. In addition, balance brings the ability to handle our emotions so they don’t get too big, take our breath away and cause us to get stuck IN the emotion.
For example, have you ever noticed that irritation can sometimes lead to frustration and maybe even anger? When we don’t address our reaction to what is creating the irritation, it can quickly turn into a bigger, more intense emotion. That increase will be what takes our breath away and causes us to be in the throes of the emotion and then everything escalates.
So imagine what a child is experiencing when all of what I have described is happening and they have no experience in how to handle irritation or frustration or anger. Dealing with emotions so they don’t get too big is a learning journey. You can help the children in your life more easily experience their emotions, get the information they need from the emotions, and gain life lessons.
Here’s how! Show them the Daily Clean Your House Flow! And see how much easier life can be — for them and for you.
You will notice: increased attention span, reduced stress, improved performance, improved health with less illness, increased cooperation, less acting out and increased self-esteem.
