1. Movement & Mindfulness 102
Skills for Healthier Kids & Teachers
Leah Kalish, MA: leah@move-with-me.com
www.move-with-me.com
818-667-3689
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2. TEAM
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Leah Kalish, MA, a recognized expert in movement, yoga, and social-emotional
education, has created many successful products/curricula for companies, such as
Barefoot Books, Yoga Ed. and School Specialty. She founded Move with Me™ to
support young children in being physically fit, emotionally stable and learning able.
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Wendy Piret, BS, is a Developmental Movement Education Specialist with years of
experience teaching children. She is a licensed Brain Gym® Instructor, a certified
Yoga Ed. Instructor, and a cranio-sacral practitioner specializing in pediatrics. With
her collaborator, Liz Bragdon, she is the co-creator of the Movement &
Mindfulness Curriculum and the instructor in the Scooter & Me movement
adventure series.
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Liz Bragdon, MA, is a certified Yoga Teacher and veteran early childhood educator.
She leads assemblies for Young Audiences and teaches at schools, libraries, gyms,
and studios. With her good friend, Wendy Piret, she is co-creator of the
Movement & Mindfulness Curriculum, and the writer of the Scooter & Me
movement adventure series.
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3. Objectives
• Understand entrainment and why self-regulation
skills / mindfulness is essential for teachers/parents.
• Learn 5 Adventure Skills and when to use them.
• Understand and utilize the benefits of cross-lateral
movement.
• Explore the basics of self-regulation skill building.
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4. Overview
• Entrainment - Coherence – Mindfulness
• Self-Regulation
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– Pause, Reflect, Slow, Center, Self-Care for YOU
– New Adventure Skills for Your Classroom/Home
Cross – Lateral Movement Tools
3 Mindfulness Games
Mirroring - Support Self-Care & Self-Control
Resources
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5. Entrainment
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Quantum physics – everything is a vibration / wave
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The principle of entrainment - tendency for two oscillating bodies to
shift to vibrate in harmony
– Universal - appearing in music, chemistry, biology, medicine,
psychology, sociology, education
– You influence everyone around you – children, students, employees
– non-verbally
– Heart reads vibration – sends messages to your brain – you react
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Coherent Waves & Incoherent Waves
– Even, smooth, organized, regular = relaxed & able
– Uneven, static, chaotic, irregular = stressed & less able
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6. BE – DO - HAVE
• BE – your mind-body state/ vibration
• DO – infuses “how” you think / act
• HAVE – influences your experience
According to brain /educational researchers, including Eric Jensen,
Carla Hannaford, and HeartMath, our mind-body state dictates the
quality of our choices and the intentions of our actions.
• When you are stressed, what kinds of foods do you choose?
• When you are tired or frustrated, how present or kind are you?
• When you are worried, how careful or caring can you be?
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7. Conscious Coherence
• Fact - we live, learn and love through our bodies & to do well
socially, cognitively, professionally and academically, we need to
feel well.
• Entrainment is the basis for naturally occurring social-emotional
learning and self-regulation.
• You are the model & the music in the room
• Choose to prioritize your WELL-BEING over your TO DO List
• When you sustain coherence, children magically learn to as well.
• When you take time to help children grow their self-awareness and
practice self-care, they learn how to consciously manage their
emotions and impulses. This.
• The ability to self-regulate increases empathy and resilience , and
improves behavior and academic achievement.
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8. Mindfulness
• Maintaining awareness of our thoughts,
feelings, sensations, and environment.
• Cultivating presence in relationship
• Observing what is without interpretation
• Allowing what is without judgment
• Aligning with a bigger, “vertical” intention –
health, empowerment, kindness – as your
“beingness” & your filter for how you respond
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9. Self-Regulation
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Mindfulness practices with the intention to sustain coherence
Reset button on your CNS –sympathetic to parasympathetic
Soothe, shift, calm, integrate or energize your mind-body state
Become more present, aware, reflective = executive function
Takes practice & tools
Imagery – MT / Rainbow/ Ocean
Slow down –
Ground/center –
Attend to your own Sensations
Rest back – Widening focus
Align with Intention
Breathe easily
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10. Belly Breathing calms your
body and soothes your mind.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
As you breathe in your nose, feel your belly rise first and your
chest expand second. As you breathe out your nose, feel your
belly empty and then your chest soften. Repeat 4 – 5 times
slowly and smoothly
When?
Before a new activity to pause & focus
Anytime you want to relax or center yourself
When you feel upset, confused, or frustrated
To slow down for sleep
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11. These foods provide vital nutrients and antioxidants
to every system of the body. They also contain
phyto-nutrients which help lubricate the body
and act as cleansing agents.
When?
With every meal
At snack time
Instead of sugary or junk food
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12. Gently rub your ears. With your thumb on one side
and your first finger on the other, massage your ears
from top to bottom. The tingling warmth of this
simple massage promotes calm, relieves anxiety,
and can heighten your feelings of alertness.
When your are calm and alert it is much easier to
listen and understand.
When?
You feel sluggish and tired
Your head feels heavy or thick
You are not able to listen well
You want to really tune in and pay attention
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13. With one thumb at eye level, the other hand relaxed
at your side, draw your thumb through the air, tracing
a large 8 lying on its side. Follow your thumb with
just your eyes as it moves counter-clockwise for the
first loop and then clockwise for the second loop.
Follow the sideways 8’s with just your eyes several
times to relax & strengthen eye muscles so you can
see, read & write more easily & clearly.
When?
You can’t focus
Your vision is blurry
Your eyes feel tired
You have a headache
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14. Sit on a padded floor or surface and
lean back onto both hands. Bend your
knees half-way and lift both feet,
keeping them off the floor. Gently rock
on your seat/bottom from side to side,
massaging one gluteus muscle, then the other.
When?
You feel stormy and out of sorts
Your boat has been rocked and you feel upset
You feel overwhelmed or out of control
You want to focus and remember
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15. Cross-Lateral Movement
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Energizes body and mind
Releases tension
Activates both sides of the brain
Prep for fine motor skills –
reading & writing
• Enhances thinking, comprehension & learning
• Developmental stages of cross-lateral ability
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16. Monkey Wisdom Chant
I am healthy
I play every day
I drink lots of water
I don’t float away
I rest when I’m tired
I breathe when I’m mad
I eat fruits & veggies
Monkey Wisdom Video
‘Cause they are rad
http://vimeo.com/68339892
Red, orange, yellow, green
At every meal and in between!
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17. Humming Breath Chant
One hand on my belly, I let it rest
The other, I bring up to my chest
I find a pair of buttons beneath the shelf
And Huuuuuummmmmm
To calm myself
I move my eyes slowly
Humming Breath Video
From the left to the right
http://vimeo.com/68339890
Heart calm, mind clear
Body strong, eyes bright!
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18. Benefits of Self-Care
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Increased self-awareness
Situational insight
Clarity of thought (cognition)
Impulse control
Physical coordination
YouTube/MwMAA Channel Demo Videos
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-1f5i15QhI&feature=c4overview&list=UUWgg5XvT3iuAnVAZRpMhVqw
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utsDv3y-Qrc&feature=c4overview&list=UUWgg5XvT3iuAnVAZRpMhVqw
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdqnxs-51Oc&feature=c4overview&list=UUWgg5XvT3iuAnVAZRpMhVqw
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19. TIME TO PLAY MORE, STRESS LESS
ADVENTURE SKILLS
Drop Off
Water
Breathe /Humming Breath/Ocean Wisdom
Deep Down Wisdom
Transition to Circle
Monkey Wisdom
Infinity 8’s
Deep Down Wisdom
Transition to Active Time
Monkey Wisdom
Elephant Wisdom
Transition to Clean-up
Breathe /Humming Breath/Ocean Wisdom
Elephant Wisdom
Water
Transition to Quiet Time
Water
Breathe / Humming Breath/Ocean Wisdom
Deep Down Wisdom
Academic/Detail Work
Monkey Wisdom
Infinity 8’s
Rock the Boat
Conflict
Rock the Boat
Breathe / Humming Breath/Ocean Wisdom
Deep Down Wisdom
Emotionally Triggered
Drink Water
Breathe /Humming Breath/Ocean Wisdom
Deep Down Wisdom
Confusion
Monkey Wisdom
Elephant Wisdom
Infinity 8’s

20. Active Play / Games
• Body-mind regulating and integrating
• Over-rides the body’s physiological response to stress.
• Invites whole child participation. Organizes whole-brain
function for optimal learning.
• Raises chemical messengers levels that balance mind/ body.
• Triggers BDNF, a neuro-tropic factor required for thinking.
BDNF decreases after 20 min. of sitting
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Strengthens key areas of the brain – basal ganglia,
cerebellum and corpus callosum by building brain cells and
connections.
• Improves mental focus & concentration
• Enhances memory, creativity, and academic achievement.
• Develops eye muscle fitness and helps with reading.
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21. Force vs. Finesse
• Give each child a knotted scarf. Ask them to untie the knot.
• Notice who is using force – discuss what happens to their bodies &
the knot
• Point out anyone using finesse – what is the quality of their actions,
focus, breath?
• Help kids summarize the different physical experiences
– Struggling, pulling, tense, frustrated, holding breath, knot
tighter
– Focused, specific, relaxed, breathing, knot loosening
• Force = working against
• Finesse = working with
Name some other activities in which you would want to use finesse
instead of force – shoes, containers, friends, using your body…
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22. Wind in the Trees
Children stand in a circle shoulder to shoulder
and count off 1 – 2 – 1 - 2. All 2’s to step out;
all 1’s do Tree Pose with their arms up so
fingertips lightly touch to make a Forest.
All 2’s become Wind and move in and around Trees without touching them.
Wind can blow, sway, wave, and try to distract Trees. The forest and all its
trees stay steadfastly rooted & focused – letting the wind do whatever
because it doesn’t bother them.
After 1-2 minutes, switch roles. Repeat until children have practiced
Trees/Forest on both legs.
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23. ABC Hugathon
Everyone partners up and then each couple
picks a letter from the alphabet and thinks
of a type of person or an animal that begins
with that letter. One at a time, each pair
shows how their person/animal would hug. Example:
The rest of the group, only knowing the first letter, tries to guess
who they are from how they hug. Example
Examples: a couple might do Astronaut, Aardvark or Alien HUG,
the next might do the Bear, Brute or Bat hug and so on. (Just
imagine how tricky it would be for two porcupines to hug!)
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24. Model & Schedule
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Self-Regulation = Managing thoughts, feelings & behavior =
Self-Discipline
• Use mindfulness / self-regulation to empower you to:
– Sustain coherence
– React/interpret less & allow/observe more
– Respond in a respectful, compassionate way to self/others
• Support children to build self-regulation & self-discipline:
– Practice self-care and regulation daily
– Teach techniques and use a variety of tools
– Drink water, Play, Move, Eat Well
– Acknowledge children choosing to use self-care/reg tools

25. Mirror vs Manage
• When children are triggered, stressed, mis-behaving
– Help them be with what is really going on for them
– Observe & MIRROR - name the behavior you see
– Give space to soothe, calm, re-redirect themselves:
• Feel and allow sensations, breathe, slow down, ground
• Name what they feel
• Choose tools to SELF soothe, re-direct, build resilience
• Only problem-solve once children are able to hear and listen
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Use self-care techniques – then help kids discuss what happened
No right/wrong – just what we want/agreed and what we don’t
All learning how to be/do/have more of what we choose
Builds self-esteem, self-confidence, empathy & resilience
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26. Resources
• InnerKids.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LpMvTTIr2p4
• Beck Baily – consciousdiscipline.com
• Mindfulschools.org
• Mindful.org
• Brain Gym®
• Dr. Bruce Perry
• Dr. Dan Seigel
• Dr. Daniel Goleman
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