Infinity Breathing is also referred to as Lazy Eight Breathing, which is a variation of a Brain Gym exercise. Brain Gym is a set of movements that ready the body for learning. For this exercise, use a dry erase board or for an extra sensory twist use organic instant pudding on a cookie sheet. Draw an infinity sign or a number eight laying on its side. Starting in the middle, your child will trace the left part of the eight while breathing in and the right while breathing out. As your child traces, make sure he keeps the middle of his body in the center of the eight. This will insure he is crossing midline.
What are the Benefits?
Crossing midline strengthens neural pathways between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Crossing midline is important for establishing hand dominance and many other academic skills. Playing in different textures increases the tactile sense, creativity and body awareness. It is also calming and relaxing.
What to Say.
Let’s trace our infinity sign five times with your index finger on your right hand. Breathe in as you move your finger left, breathe out as you move your finger the other direction. Great! Switch fingers. Trace five times with the left index finger. Fantastic tracing! Now let’s use both index fingers to trace the infinity sign ten times. What does the infinity sign remind you of? I see butterfly wings. Let’s create something out of our sign! To infinity and beyond!
References
Dennison, P. E. (1989). Brain gym: TEACHERS EDITION. Place of publication not identified: Edu-Kinesthetics.
Children love to hang upside down! If you go to a playground you will see children hanging precariously from the monkey bars. But did you know that being upside down is actually good for your child’s brain? In aerial yoga, going upside down is called an inversion. Inversions, which get your feet above your head have healing and mood benefits. These happy faces definitely show Mindful Child Aerial Yoga inversions are a mood changer!
Here are a few of the recognized benefits that aerial yoga inversions can provide for your child’s health:
Going upside down, gives your heart and mind a break, which keeps your child in the present moment. This allows them to see life from a new perspective. Perspective taking is an important social emotional skill that we teach in our kid’s yoga classes.
Inversions such as inverted lotus pose (pictured here) promote calm and relaxation. At Mindful Child Aerial Yoga we encourage kids to calm their breath and relax their minds to reap the rewards of being upside down.
Handstands and headstands even when supported by a yoga hammock or wall require core strength, focus, and resilience. All of which are needed to successfully navigate life.
Children as young as two-years-old naturally go into Down Dog Pose. This innate desire to be upside down is your child learning to regulate their central nervous system. Being upside down provides the sensory integration children need to help regulate their behavior and bodies.
Being upside down increases blood flow to the brain. More blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Healthy brains are important for learning and self-regulation.
The UP side of purposefully hanging upside in aerial yoga is that it is beneficial to your child’s overall health. Inversions improve posture, circulation, strength and flexibility. Being upside down can enhance mood, teach perspective taking, and build self-regulation skills.
Always use props such as a wall and spot your child if he is attempting headstand and handstand on the ground. Simple poses such as Down Dog Pose also invert the head. Down Dog Pose is fun and can be done almost anywhere! What are you waiting for? Have your child take a deep breath, plant their hands, lift their feet, and gain a new perspective! Ah…
Teaching fun, therapeutic, aerial yoga and mindfulness to children
