Relaxing Meditations
Free Online Practices
Family Mindfulness Program
These exercises are shorts and sweet and designed to help children develop their sense of mindfulness. Don’t worry about whether you are doing them perfectly, just enjoy this time together to breathe deeply, feel gratitude, and use positive language as a family. It’s important that parents participate with the children and do activities together as one. Mindfulness works best in children when the parents are actively involved in the experience as well.
Activity 1 – Deep Breaths. Deep belly breathing using a small trinket helps to connect with your breath & bring it to life.
Lie on your back & place this special new object on your belly. Feel your belly rise up as you breathe in, and drop down as you breathe out.
If you ever feel anxious or worried, come back to your treasured object & be reminded of those deep belly breaths.
Activity 2 – Bubble Blowing. Using real or imaginary bubbles helps to connect to your breath even further by breathing longer exhales.
Blow an imaginary bubble in the air to another member of your family, moving slowly thoughtfully & making your exhale as long as you can. Once you have passed the bubble around to everyone in the family, start adding in words of gratitude as you blow the bubble.
Using longer exhales helps to release stress & tension in the mind & body.
Activity 3 – Yoga. Move your body & say positive affirmations as a family. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just have fun. Think of other positive phrases you can say as a family & link a movement to it, to make it fun for the young ones.
Start by saying “I am strong! I am brave! I am kind! I am loved!”
Then add the movement in.
Bend both knees wide; “I am strong!”
Warrior one: “I am brave!”
Feet together, reach arms up; “I am kind!”
Hands on heart; “I am loved!”
Repeat this a few times then add your own family version in.
Activity 4 – Power Stand. Help all members of the family to feel confident, heard by others & strong in their voice. Each person chooses a word that makes them feel empowered. Tap on your sternum 3 times & make a gesture as you say it in a powerful voice, as many times as you need to. There is a pressure point on the sternum that helps to wake the body up & lift spirits. Words are a powerful tool for changing your state of mind. A fun gesture or sound can help shift any frustrated states of mind.
Encourage children to say their ‘power word’ when they feel unhappy or frustrated.
Activity 5 – Counting With Grains. Use uncooked rice or sand to count from 1-10 using your finger to write each number in the grains. Start by taking those long deep breaths & then try to link your breath with each count. Inhale as you smooth the grains off, exhale as you write the number.
This helps to focus the mind & learn to concentrate using your breath, as well as recognise the impermanence of each moment.
Activity 6 – Fill Up Your Bucket! Lift each others spirits by sharing a positive observation about each member of the family.
Each member of the family carries an imaginary bucket that can be full & make them happy, or be empty & make them sad. Share positive words about each member of the family to fill up their bucket. For example; you could share with your sister that you love how she paints, or how your brother is good at football, or how dad makes delicious pasta, or how mum tells the best stories…
We are stronger as a family when we share kind words & feel good about ourselves.
Activity 7 – Concentration Using Geometric Visualisation. By following this guided visualisation exercise you will be pulled into the powerful world of imagination. This can be a great way to focus the mind & foster a moment of stillness without forcing it.
You can even practice making up your own shapes, sizes, & colours in your own mind.
You may even like giving each member of your family a chance to make up shapes & colours for everyone else.
Activity 8 – Up In The Clouds. Learning to notice your thoughts & let them go can be a powerful way of connecting with your mind & releasing worries.
Remember to take those long deep breaths into your belly & relax your body. Imagine you are looking up at the clouds in the sky. With each thought that pops into your mind, breathe out all the way and blow the clouds away, letting go of that thought as you exhale.
This helps you stay connected to the current moment, allowing for peace of mind.
Yoga Nidra
