Relaxation and Stress Relief activities
I was recently asked to devise some relaxation teaching aids for an inservice day at my school. I realised that I had devised and gathered quite a lot of materials in the last few years. I thought I would put them here for you to see. We don't often officially use yoga, massage, visualisation or progressive muscle relaxation in our 'main' PE programme, however, with greater awareness of mental health issues in society and the positive link between relaxation activities and positive mental health, maybe it's about time we did!!!
I have created a massage program that I adapted from a ‘Massage for schools’
resource I had a chance to look through whilst at Inverclyde council some years ago. The purpose of these resources are to encourage pupils to understand what constitutes as ‘appropriate’ touch and also to let pupils have a chance to experience the relaxation benefits massage. There are two resources to use: 1. The Massage Task Sheet 2. The Massage Skills Book Hope they are pretty self-explanatory. As a teacher it is important to remember not to put yourself in any awkward situations by using a pupil for demonstration purposes. All demonstrations should be carried out using a pillow, a teddy bear or another member of staff. |
It is important to ensure that you recieve permission from parents allowing their child to participate in such a programme. I have attached a letter I used earlier this year
|
|
Deep breathing exercises
Seemingly……… “the breath is the intelligence of the body” (t.k.v desikachart, Yogi, 1938-) Many people have a tendency to breathe faster than normal when they are anxious. Sometimes this can make you feel a little dizzy, which makes you more anxious and you breathe even faster, which can make you more anxious, etc. If you practise 'deep breathing' when you are relaxed, you can then use when you feel tense or anxious to help you to relax. Deep Abdominal (diaphragmatic) Breathing Try the following for 2-3 minutes. Pupils should be encouraged to practise this every day until they can do it routinely in any stressful situation: · Breathe slowly and deeply in through your nose, and out through your mouth in a steady rhythm. Try to make your breath out twice as long as your breath in. To do this you may find it helpful to count slowly "one, two" as you breathe in, and "one, two, three, four" as you breathe out.
Yoga Breathing techniques Alternatively to Deep abdominal breathing or Balloon breathing, you can try focusing on some of the meditation techniques described in ‘Yoga for Teens; 50 cards, 50 reasons to breathe” by Mary Kaye Chryssicas. These can be done sitting and then repeated lying down if necessary. Alternate nostil breathing: · Sit comfortably · Press right thumb to the side of your right nostril as you inhale through your left nostril for eight counts. · Clamp both nostrils shut (suing thumb and right finger) and retain the breath · Release the thumb and count to eight as you exhale through the right nostril. · Repeat on the other side. Ujjayi breathing (Ocean breathing): · Sit comfortably · Inhale deeply then exhale with your mouth open (as though fogging up a mirror) · Now finish exhaling with the mouth closed. · Your breath should sound like the waves of the ocean. · Breathe deeply and try not to sniff Breath of Fire · Slowly inhale as much breath as possible · Then release the breath in as many as 20 short puffs. (like you’re blowing out the candles on your birthday cake!!) · Contract the tummy to help expel the breath In addition to the breathing techniques given, you can access the app ‘Simply Yoga” on the ipad or the Yoga for Teen cards by Mary Kaye Chryssicas to add some physical stretches and positions. |