An increasing number of children are experiencing higher levels of stress today. Muscle relaxation techniques can go a long way in reducing children’s stress levels.
“Abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation (APMR) is a much used stress-management technique. Its efficacy relevant to placebo control is already established in the literature.”
In one study, “One hundred and one first-year (university) students completed APMR with prevailing stress levels assessed a week before and after intervention. Both cortisol and self-report measures were significantly reduced post-intervention by 8% and 10%, respectively.” (1)
How can you help to facilitate a decrease in the stress levels children are experiencing? Simply melt away children’s stress levels with a simple yoga tool that I have found to work extremely well.
Reduce Children’s Stress with Melting Butter
Melting Butter (from the EDUCATE 2B program) is a perfect yoga muscle relaxation tool that can be done literally anywhere. Here’s how:
Imagine you are a cold piece of butter of frozen butter.
Inhale and make every part of your body tight and tense as if it was a frozen block and hold that frozen form for a count of five.
As you slowly exhale, imagine that you were just placed on top of a warm piece of toast.
As you become aware from the warmth of the toast, you begin to melt into all the nooks and crannies of the toast, filling up all the open spaces as your body begins to relax, soften, and gently glide over the toast. Inhale again and become that frozen piece of butter, tightening each part of your body to freeze it in place. Exhale and melt. Let all your stress, discomfort or upsetting thoughts gently melt away. Repeat this 3-4 times. Inhale, frozen butter. Exhale, melted butter.
We also have a full set of activity cards with over 40 practices for home and school use
References
(1) Chellew, K., G. Garcia-Banda, G. Pérez, J. Fornes-Vives, and P. Evans. “The Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Daily Cortisol Secretion.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 July 2015. Web. 18 May 2016.
