Take time to slow down with your kids this holiday season. By teaching your kids mindful breathing and a few yoga poses, your whole family can share the spirit of the season.
What happens to your family routine during the holiday season? Are you looking for ways to keep mindfulness and gratitude at the core of your child’s winter break? By using mindful breathing and a few simple yoga poses, you can help your kids make a grounded transition from school routines to the free-for-all of the holidays.
The festive season
The holiday season comes with numerous social events and various demands on our time. Most young children transition from structured school days to an unplanned two-week holiday. The Public Health Agency of Canada recognizes the stress that holidays can bring to families and suggests that parents take a proactive approach to coping with it.
Practicing mindful breathing and gratitude, as well as maintaining some simple routines, can help your family navigate the excitement of the holidays. You can also start implementing some of these ideas before the holiday season begins.
Practise mindful breathing
We all need to breathe! Slowing down amidst busyness and connecting with our family is an excellent way to relax and focus on the moment. If your child seems overwhelmed by holiday excitement, encourage them to try some breathing exercises.
Back-to-back breathing
- Sit with your back against your child’s back in a comfortable position. Ask them to sense the movement of breath in and out of their body. Encourage your child to sync their breath with yours. Count in and out for five breaths, one for each finger.
Partner breathing
- Sit together in a comfortable position. Place your hand on your child’s back. Feel their breath as it enters the back of their body. Together, take 10 deep, slow breaths. Then, swap roles.
Practise gratitude
The holidays offer a wonderful opportunity to remind our families about the people, experiences, and things we appreciate in our lives.
Make a gratitude tree
Decorate a tree or your home with representations of the things you are grateful for. Your child can draw people, experiences, or items they appreciate on small colored papers. This tree can serve as a daily reminder of your family’s blessings.
Create new rituals
As a family, brainstorm ways to assist others during the holiday season. Perhaps you might want to help prepare a meal at a shelter or a church group. Alternatively, consider delivering festive cards to a seniors’ home. This can encourage your child to empathize with others. Then, reflect on your family’s blessings together.
Thank each other
A fun way to express gratitude is by creating a shoulder massage train. Line up your family members in a row. Each person can give a shoulder massage to the person in front of them. You can switch the order so everyone gets to participate. If your family is large enough, form a circle so everyone can give and receive a massage simultaneously.
Practise healthy routines
When maintaining healthy daily routines becomes challenging during the holidays, focus on these three manageable routines.
Breathing routines
- Consider practicing five minutes of quiet breathing together every evening before storytime and bedtime during the holiday season to establish a calming and consistent pre-bedtime routine.
Healthy food
- Visit your local health food store to stock up on ingredients for nutritious meals and snacks for the holiday season.
Yoga poses
- Consider practicing some yoga poses with your child, especially when they need to center themselves.
Five festive yoga poses
Here are some simple asanas (postures) to try with your little yogi at home. Begin this yoga practice before the busy holiday season starts, and continue it throughout the holidays to help your household calm and reconnect as a family. You can integrate these poses after regular daily activities like brushing your teeth or cleaning up after dinner.
Please consult a healthcare professional for guidance regarding the suitability of any exercise program.
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Tree pose
- Encourage everyone in your family to create a forest of trees around the living room.
- Stand up straight and tall. Breathe in and out, feeling your feet grounding into the floor. Keep your gaze focused on a single spot.
- Lift one leg by bending at the knee, placing that foot on the ankle or calf of the other leg. Visualize roots anchoring the tree through the leg on the ground. Breathe in and out while in tree pose, imagining being adorned with decorations or covered in snow.
- For added challenge, try lifting your arms overhead. Hold for three slow, deep breaths.
- Gradually return your foot to the ground and repeat on the opposite side.
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Present pose
- This is a variation on child’s pose.
- Curl into a ball in a fetal position, keeping your legs and feet tucked under your body with feet on the floor.
- Focus on breathing slowly in and out, feeling the breath travel into your ribs and the back of your body. Younger children can pretend they are a present waiting to be unwrapped.
- After a few quiet breaths, “unwrap” by jumping into the air.
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Airplane pose
- Perhaps someone in your family is traveling during the holidays.
- Stand straight and tall. Reach your arms to shoulder height, hinge forward at the waist, and lift one leg behind you. Try doing the airplane pose while holding hands or supporting your child’s foot or leg.
- Count how many breaths your child can take while balancing in this pose.
- Switch sides.
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Star pose
- Engage in a full-body stretch and feel revitalized.
- Stand with legs wide apart and stretch your arms out, forming a star shape. Relax your neck and shoulders and breathe slowly and deeply. Hold for five slow, deep breaths.
- If you’re practicing with more than one person, connect together to form a circle of stars by holding hands.
- Quiet sitting pose
- Quiet sitting can be suggested when either of you feels rushed or anxious.
- Sit comfortably (cross-legged, in a chair, or on your knees) and practice breathing in and out for five quiet breaths.
- For an extra challenge, try this with your eyes closed.
Extra tips for a calmer festive season
- Plan peaceful family breakfasts amid the bustling social agenda.
- Invite your child to share their feelings about the holidays while enjoying an evening family skate or walk.
- Arrange a playdate before the school holidays with another family to give each other some time to prepare for the holidays. Then relish the rewards when your child visits their friend’s house during the holiday break.
