Bears Move Mountains with Mindfulness

For Grades PK-6

"In today's rush, we all think too much--seek too much--want too much--and forget about the joy of just being."

- Eckhart Tolle

Just...Breathe...

Remember that our breathing is our built-in coping tool. I know on Mindful Mondays and during counseling classes, we practice our breathing, but are you remembering that tool when you are with friends, at school, and now at home? Remember, when we find ourselves away from calm too long, our Amydala gate is closes and our brain cannot access information for decisions that we need to make. So how do we open the gate? Breathing!

Some of the PCE favorites:

  • Deep Belly Breathing (our first learned breath with the Hoberman Ball)

  • Sigh Breath (a PCE favorite--remember sometimes we find ourselves doing this automatically when we feel angry or frustrated. That's a sign that your body and trying to calm and release)

  • Hug Breath (remember this one is great for when we are feeling lonely or sad)

  • Five Finger Breathing (helps us remember to take 5 slow breaths)

Mindfulness Activity

Grades 3-6--Check out this

Interactive Mindfulness Activity

source: thecalmingcorner.com/instagram

Feeling emotions that are way up or way down? Need to get back to your center, or middle ground? Click the button above for coping skills that we learned when we played Coping Skills Bingo. Choose one to get back to calm.


source: Counselor Keri

Hey K-2 students, you know we love some Cosmic Kids Yoga! Take your shoes off and find a quiet space for the next 8 minutes. Click above to let Cosmic Kids Yoga take you on a guided relaxation exercise. Challenge: Can you focus until the very end?


Something

As

Simple

As

Water

Can

Help

You

Regulate

Your

Emotions

What does water have to do with being mindful?

If you have ever been in my office feeling away from calm, you have probably been offered some water.

When we feel stressed, the body releases a stress hormone called Cortisol into our bodies. This hormone helps you when you are in danger. Taking a test isn't dangerous, presenting in front of the class isn't dangerous and working out a problem with a friend isn't dangerous, but our bodies can see these things as danger. When it does, it releases Cortisol making us feel angry at the stressor/problem or making us want to run from the stressor/problem.

For example, math used to be a stressor for me when I was your age. When I would feel stressed working out a difficult math problem, I would either want to give up or become angry. But here is the cool thing: WATER DISSOLVES CORTISOL! Water makes Cortisol GO AWAY, opening up your Amygdala gate so that we can make a good choice, think clearly, push through that math problem. The next time you feel stressed, stop, drink a glass of water, and follow up with 3 deep breaths. You will be surprised at how much better you will feel. After all, we can't run from our math problems. So we solve with WATER!


2:1 Breathing Exercise

We love breathing at PCE! This is a cool breathing exercise you probably have not practiced on your own. Give it a try! Challenge: See if you can focus to the very end of the video.

Yoga to Eliminate Stress

Did you know that practicing yoga can help you focus, clear your mind, help you control impulsive behavior, and even help you become a better athlete? Find a quiet spot and enjoy some stress-fighting yoga from one of my favorites--Yoga Ed! If you enjoy it, you can subscribe to Yoga Ed on YouTube.

I love, love Yoga Ed! In fact, I plan to use more Yoga Ed at PCE in the near future. Give this yoga session a try. It focuses on your feelings and ya'll know I'm all about feelings!


Box Breathing: One of My Favorites

One of my favorite types of mindful breathing is box breathing. It was actually going to be the next type of breathing that we learned on one of our Mindful Mondays. Give it a try!


A Breathing Challenge: Can You Focus and Relax for 10 Minutes? You got this!

Hey, K-2 Bears, it's time to learn the belly breathing song with....Elmo!


I Am Peace read aloud by author Susan Verde will challenge you to find peace when you face difficult times. One of my favorite books!



Did you know that you have a type of weather INSIDE of you? That's right! Listen to this story, Exploring Emotions, to learn about the weather inside you!