Move Your Body Mindfully!
Research shows that practicing yoga and mindfulness improves both physical and mental health in school-aged children. A great kid-friendly yoga practice is Cosmic Kids (https://www.cosmickids.com) which is also available on YouTube. If you are looking for some yoga geared towards an older audience (I’m looking at you Grade 6 and 7s), here’s a link to a quick 20 minute full body flow (https://youtu.be/b1H3xO3x_Js).
Another great option for mindful movement is Tai Chi. Slow, gentle, repeated movements are really good for the body. The trick is to go as slow as you can, and remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Tai Chi is really good for your circulation (moving blood around your body). If you spend a lot of time at a desk or in front of the computer, your body isn’t moving blood around as easily, and so different’ parts of your body aren’t getting the oxygen they need.
Give it a try!
An Astronaut’s Guide to Self Isolation
Here’s a short (2 minute) message from Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield about self isolation and goal setting. Specifically, he discusses four steps to increasing productivity during this time.
If you think it’s hard not being able to play at the park or hang out with your friends, imagine spending 6 months in a space station the size of a small apartment!
For Parents – Here’s a link to his Ted Talk on fear and how to overcome it, it’s a really interesting talk and well worth sitting down to watch with your kids.