Welcome to this session,
Kids' Body and Mind Awareness Journey by Kirsten Doestl.
We're going to experiment with the amazing way that your thoughts can make you experience an emotion,
And how we then feel a sensation in our body too.
Thank you body for what I can learn from you.
You can do this practice anywhere,
In any position,
And when you know it,
It's interesting to try it at any time.
When you first do this,
I suggest maybe sitting somewhere quiet,
Where you can focus on you and you won't be interrupted.
Get comfy,
Then let your eyes close and gather your attention to be here.
Lasso in that busy mind.
Check in with your body and mind and mood right now.
Notice,
As if you had to describe it to a friend.
Yeah,
My body feels strong,
Or maybe it feels cool or warm,
Or my body feels a little bit flippy in my tummy,
My mind feels curious and interested,
Or maybe my mind feels like it's flitting all over the place,
Or maybe I feel bored,
Or perhaps I'm worried,
My mood feels pretty happy,
Or perhaps my mood feels calm,
Or my mood might be a little bit sad.
This all changes lots,
So we just check in with how you are in this moment,
Right now.
So you have noticed how your mind and your body and your mood are right now.
Now try this.
Think of a really fun,
Happy day or thing that happened to you.
Make it very real in your mind.
Remember what it was,
Who was there,
Why it was fun.
You might even be able to remember what you were wearing,
What the day was like,
What time of day it happened.
Bring it back to you like a video in your head.
Re-play it like you were there and so happy.
And now,
Like an interested explorer,
Investigate how your body feels right now.
Does the area in your chest feel maybe more open and light?
What about your throat and your belly?
It might even feel zippy and tingly in your whole body.
Maybe you'll notice that your mouth did a bit of a smile as you remembered this fun thing.
We feel emotions in our body and our mind.
All emotions are okay and everyone has them.
Some just feel better than others,
That's for sure.
That's interesting.
Now time to change the channel on the movie in your mind.
Remember something just a little bit sad.
Maybe you felt like crying,
Maybe you did cry.
Try to recall that time.
What was it about?
Who was there?
Were other people upset?
Now,
Like you were looking from the outside,
Notice what sensations are in your body now.
How does your throat feel?
Maybe tight and solid?
Does your belly feel different?
Are you prickly behind your eyes?
How do you feel in your chest?
Is this different to how your body felt when you remembered the happy thought?
You might even find you slumped down a little bit and your smiley face is gone.
The power of your mind is amazing,
Isn't it?
You were just sitting there but you can make your body feel as if that thing was happening now.
Now change the channel again.
Move off the sad channel and think about how you feel when you get a hug from your favourite person or pet.
Or when you give a hug to your favourite person or pet or toy.
Imagine that now.
Change the channel in your mind to getting the big hug or giving the big hug.
A really long warm hug.
Who do you remember giving you a hug?
Maybe you can even recall how they smell.
Play that lovely hug video in your head and as you do,
Notice how your body feels inside now.
It might feel warm and safe in your chest and belly.
You might feel that your face goes all soft and relaxed.
That's a nice sensation to have in our body.
We can actually help ourselves to feel better if we find we are sad or angry or having a big emotion that feels a little bit too much.
We can do this.
We can remember how we felt at a happy time or when we got a hug or even when we give ourselves a hug.
Here is a tool that you can use when you notice that your body has got sensations of nervous or upset.
Maybe that might feel like a tight throat,
A wobbly belly,
Prickly eyes,
A tight chest or hot in the body.
Maybe you feel like running away.
Put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
Try to let your jaw be soft and then place the tip of your tongue behind your top teeth.
Add a little bit of pressure there with your tongue.
Breathe all the air out of your lungs.
Then imagine there are nostrils below your belly button and breathe in through there.
You can feel with that hand on your belly that your belly bulges softly out as you breathe in.
Feel the warmth of your hand on the belly.
Feel the warmth of your hand on your chest.
Your body just keeps on breathing.
Notice and allow all the air to pour out of your lungs in a sigh.
Do it two times.
Feel the warm hands and now reach your hands up to the sky like Wonder Woman or Superman,
Stretching your spine long as you reach up.
Hold them up there for a minute,
Then bring them down and give yourself a big hug.
Make your mouth into the shape of a big smile,
Even if you don't really feel like it.
And stay like that for just a little longer.
What happens here is that when we put our body into different positions,
We can feel better in our emotions.
That's really useful.
So yay me,
Air punch,
I've learnt something useful.
Let your arms drop down,
Finish off with a deep breath in and a yawn and a stretch out.
And then a good old wet dog shimmy and shake of your whole body before you go off to the rest of your day.
Well done.
Take care.
Bye.
