Discover indispensable calming techniques to reduce anxiety and stress in children allowing them to self-calm, focus and regulate. Each of the five skills of Breathe, Connect, Affirm, Move and Relax will be taught with multiple age appropriate practices to alleviate test anxiety, calm fears and empower children.

1. 5 Skills to
Calm Kids
Donna Freeman

2. @DonnaKFreeman
#yogainmyschool

3. Living in a Frenzied World
Anxiety Excess Energy

4. Why Calm Kids?  Decrease stress
 Sharpen attention
 Increase mental
flexibility/creativity
 Improve memory
 Heighten problem
solving skills
 Instill self-calming
 Gain peace of mind

5. How to Put Out a Fire
Douse Add Fuel

6. Breathe
Connect
Affirm
Stretch
Visualize

7. 1 – Breathe

8. Start, Return to and Finish with The Breath

9. Benefits of Breathing
 Increase awareness
 Reduce stress
 Improve concentration
 Tone muscles
 Increase blood flow
 Calm nervous system

10. Guidelines for Breathing
 Keep it short
 (30 seconds)
 Repeat often
 Think fun

11. 1 Minute Breath
 Attend to the sensation of air entering and leaving
your body
 Give an attainable time limit: use an actual timer

12. Heart & Belly Breathing
 Hands provide sensory feedback

13. Breathing Resource
 Pranayama for Kids
and Teens
 30 exercises
 21 games
http://yogainmyschool.com/the-joy-of-breathing-pranayama-for-kids-and-teens/

14. 2 - Connect

15. Self
 Feet to floor
 HUG yourself

16. Others
 Talk
 Touch

17. Nature
 Develop an artist’s eye for detail

18. Relieve ADHD Symptoms
 Nature Deficit Disorder
 University of Illinois
 http://lhhl.illinois.edu/adhd.htm

19. 3 – Affirm

20. Negative Thinking
 Stress
 Anxiety
 Fear
 Anger

21. Positive Thinking
 Warmth
 Connection
 Happiness
 Peace

22. Affirmations
 Personal
 Positive
 Present

23. Jessica’s Daily Affirmation

24. Affirmations for Kids
 http://www.pinterest.com/yogainmyschool/affirmations/

25. 4 – Stretch

26. Movement & Learning
Brain Research Proves
 Stimulates vestibular
system
 Primes & oxygenates the
brain

27. Vestibular System
 Balance
 Spatial
Orientation
 Movement

28. Exercise itself doesn’t
make us smarter.
Instead, exercise
makes us more able to
learn and focus and
optimizes the brain for
learning.
~ Dr. John J. Ratey

29. Movement & Learning
Active Brain Inactive Brain

30. Balance Poses to Focus
 Tree Pose  Eagle Pose Dancers Pose

31. Forward Folds to Calm
 Ragdoll Pose
 Childs Pose

32. 5 – Visualize

33. What is Visualization?
 Purposeful use of
mental images

34. Power of Visualization
We learn more when
we’re relaxed
 Parasympathetic
nervous system
 Sub-conscious mind

35. Sample Visualization

36. @DonnaKFreeman
@Yoga In My School
#yogainmyschool
Questions?