Calm Seeds Learning

24/11/2022

As today is Thanksgiving I thought I would give my gratitude practice a boost.

There are some serious negative and on-going events in the world and I'm finding it increasingly difficult not to feel a sense of hopelessness and anxiety about the future. A regular gratitude practice may be a great antidote to this as it helps to create and strengthen neural pathways associated with noticing the good things in life. The more these are used and strengthened the easier it becomes to see the good and balance out the negative aspects of life.

Although I have had a gratitude journal for many years, I have not written in it consistently for more than a couple of months at a time. I really want to make this a daily habit so I'm setting myself a challenge of writing daily for one year.

I'm keeping it simple by writing a minimum of three things each day that I'm grateful for. I'm also going to make a Gratitude Album of photos that I take throughout the year as a visual representation of things that gave me joy and for which I was thankful.

If this sounds like something that you would like to do then join me! We can provide encouragement and accountability to one another.

I'll be posting updates throughout the year to let you know how it's going and any benefits I may be experiencing.

09/12/2021

The end of the school year can be challenging for many young people (and their caregivers). Not only are many struggling with the usual end of term fatigue but there can also be a lot of different emotions which can be really draining. Excitement about Christmas, sadness over not seeing friends as much, worry over changes that may occur next year and different routines can create a roller coaster of emotions which in turn can be exhausting.
By encouraging your child to actively relax you can help them to navigate
the highs and lows. This can be as simple as taking some time to slowly breathe in and out through the nose.
Slow breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and digest’ system) and calms the amygdala (our brains alarm system) and is arguably our most powerful self regulation tool.

28/11/2021

These Activity Sets from Kmart make great stocking fillers. They're $9 each and focus on yoga, mindfulness and emotional intelligence.

01/08/2021

This morning we had an Olympic themed Calm Seeds which included a visualisation in the senior class. Students chose a physical activity they enjoyed and took part in a guided visualisation in which they imagined themselves doing that activity really well.
Visualisation is a technique used by many athletes and can be applied to any area in life, including work, relationships and performance Studies have shown that when just imagining something or actually experiencing it similar neural networks are activated. To our brains there is little difference between what is real and what is imagined. By visualising situations before actually doing them we can train our brains to stay calm in those situations, therefore increasing the chances of a positive outcome.

Tips for effective visualisation:
*Relax before you begin
*Imagine as much detail as possible - What are you wearing? Where are you? Who is with you? What is around you? What do you feel? What can you see? What can you smell? What do others see when they look at you?
*Use all your senses.
*Visualise the whole process from before you start to after you've finished.
*Make it a regular practice. Like everything practice will make your visualisations easier and more effective.

05/07/2021

Yesterday we had a Matariki themed Calm Seeds with Star Breathing, a yoga pose for each of the Matariki stars and a really beautiful Maori meditation with movement (linked below).

https://youtu.be/tpjF1TPOL7w

As much of the group were feeling lethargic at the beginning we practiced a simple invigorating breathing technique. By making our inhale longer than our exhale we were able to make ourselves more alert and energetic.

Usually we do calming breathing patterns which have a longer exhale than inhale.

This is a simple technique you can do yourself - if you want more energy inhale for longer than you exhale and if you want to calm down or relax exhale for longer than you inhale.

Happy Breathing 😊

10/06/2021

Hikitia te Haa is a traditional Maori breathing technique. It includes breathing, movement and gratitude for the world and people around us. It is both uplifting and relaxing and has been well received in class.

You can check it out here: (there are also other Hikitia te Haa videos on youtube).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GecM-67Nho

Watch and take part in a series of mindful breathing exercises designed for people of all ages.

31/05/2021

We all know how important sleep is but many young people (and adults) find it difficult to switch off and go to sleep. Guided relaxations and Sleep Stories can be a great way to unwind and prepare for sleep.
Today in Calm Seeds we listened to a 5 minute guided relaxation for sleep which had several drifting off by the end, 'Magical Bed of Clouds by Kirsten Pancras. This relaxation and many more can be found on the Insight Timer App (free).
https://insighttimer.com/

Sleep Stories can be great for those who are resistant to guided relaxations. These are some that we regularly use:

https://www.honeybeekidsclub.com/
(Sleep stories inspired by popular children's movies, tv programmes and games)
and
https://getsleepy.com/

27/10/2020

Last week we had a discussion about the everyday things that the oldest part of our brain can perceive as a threat and create a stress response to.

Travelling at high speeds (such as in a car), being late, watching tv and/or gaming (due to content and sensory overload), insomnia, too many responsibilities and feeling overwhelmed were just some of things we listed.

Many of these things are unavoidable but consciously taking breathing breaks throughout the day is a simple way to counteract their effect on us. Breathe in and out slowly through the nose to calm your brain and body.

04/09/2020

Today in the senior room we did a talking circle on the topic of COVID-19.
After sharing our general thoughts on Covid the young people were asked if they had any questions relating to the pandemic. And they had a lot.
I know that I am guilty of reassuring my children’s fears and here in New Zealand we are currently in the lucky position of having only a very small chance of being at risk of the virus itself.
This doesn’t however stop our children from having valid concerns and confusion regarding a constantly changing situation.
COVID-19 is all around them. It’s in the media, it’s the hand sanitiser stations, the contact tracing posters, the people they see wearing masks.
Encourage your children to ask the questions - it’s okay to not know the answers. Being able to voice their concerns may be enough on its own to ease some anxieties as may giving children more knowledge.

18/04/2020

I’ve often found myself over the past few weeks giving myself a mental telling off for wasting this time. I have not been learning a new skill, practicing old ones or sorting out my cupboards and drawers. I haven’t kept my children busy with a constant array of educational activities and we are not always eating amazing and healthy meals.
In the last few days I’ve come to the realisation that this time for me isn’t about being productive with every extra minute I may (or may not) find myself with. It’s about stopping and stillness, not just in the immediate world around me but also in my home and self. It may never again be as easy again to just be rather than do so I intend to try to embrace it, enjoy it and when I feel like doing nothing just let it be.
It’s also the perfect time to allow children to experience stillness and a slow paced way of life without the everyday pressures and time constraints of our modern lives. My belief is that there is much more for them to learn by this experience than can be found in their school books and lessons. Let them reset and rebalance and they’ll be exactly where they need to be.

07/04/2020

MEDITATION

It’s not news that meditation is good for you. It reduces stress, boosts health,and increases creativity, calm and focus.

I’ve often struggled to meditate with the children around. I was taught that meditation required a routine practice - same time, place, and uninterrupted duration. Short of getting up at 4am each day (which I think would lead to sleep rather than meditation) this isn’t practical so I have to take it when I can get it. Sometimes I meditate when the kids are watching T.V, othertimes I accept that I’m going to be interrupted and I meditate near them or I do a short guided meditation for children on YouTube in the hopes that they’ll join me (this hasn’t been all that successful yet!). Often my meditation might just be focusing on my breath for 30 seconds or concentrating on the sounds around me.

Some people are finding they have more time to spare during lockdowns (I’m assuming they do not have primary aged children!) and if you are one of them and have wanted to give meditation a go I highly recommend the meditations by Jay Shetty (link below). He has been doing live daily meditations during lockdown and I’ve been loving them.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb0C_I-k2Ph9bsj_cGBGmidR8749g4XKU

Insight Timer is a free app which has thousands of guided meditations for adults and children. I use this often and love the Yoga Nidra meditations for helping me get to sleep.

https://insighttimer.com/

There are also lots of meditations for children that you can access through YouTube and some really like the stillness and calm. Or just put on some relaxing music and encourage your child(ren) to lie down and be still.

05/04/2020

Don’t feel guilty is your parenting is anything but perfect at the moment. 11.30a.m and not dressed, playing games (not educational) on computers.
The message at the moment is ‘Be Kind’. Not only to others but also to yourself.

05/04/2020

If you have ever thought that some people are naturally happy you are right!

We are all born with a different level of happiness known as our happiness baseline. Life events mean that we sometimes feel more or less happy than our baseline but even after the most extreme of events (such as winning the lottery or losing a loved one) the vast majority of people return to their baseline after a while.

The good news is we can raise our baseline by about 40%! Research has show that we can control 40% of our happiness, independent of life events and the baseline we are born with.

There are many ways we can do this - some of which I have already covered such as listening regularly to happy music and practicing gratitude.

Another important way of boosting our happiness and the baseline is exercise. Not only is exercise essential to our physical health it is also extremely important for our mental health. 30 minutes of exercise 3 -5 times a week has been found to be as effective as antidepressants for depression and anxiety. When you exercise chemicals are produced in the brain which make you feel happier and other chemicals are made which improve learning and memory.

Some of us may not currently have access to our usual form of exercise but its important to find something else to give us that daily boost of happiness. Most of us are able to have a daily walk outside which has the added bonus of increasing our vitamin d and expose to nature - both of which are known happiness boosters.
There are lots of free exercise classes on the internet and I personally love doing yoga classes on YouTube. CosmicKids.com has a great kids yoga series which is available for free on YouTube. Each video tells a story, some of which link to popular childrens movies. They also have small videos of relaxation and mindfulness for children.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the science of happiness I recommend the Yale course ‘The Science of Well-Being’. This is currently being offered for free through Coursera.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

01/04/2020

FEELING YOUR FEELINGS

I don't know about you but emotions are very up and down in our house at the moment! Being forced to spend time with only your nearest and dearest would be difficult enough but many of us have the additional pressures of uncertain incomes, fear for our own or loved ones health and of course a global pandemic.

Letting ourselves and our children feel all the feelings of the moment is really important if we want to maximise positive emotions at this time. Scientists that study happiness have found that the happiest people are not happy all the time. Different life events make us feel an array of emotions including angry, sad, frustrated and bored. Those people who are happiest let themselves feel the emotion appropriate to the life event. For example they feel sad when they lose someone, angry when they feel life is unfair.

It helps to think of your emotions as flowing through a tube in your body. When you appropriately feel all of your emotions they flow through the tube and constantly change. If you suppress or ignore an emotion it gets stuck in the tube and other emotions are not able to flow through, including happpiness.

Many children (and adults) are unable to express their emotions with words. They may instead display their emotions through their behaviour; anger and tantrums, withdrawal, crying, difficulties with sleeping etc. Here are some ways of encouraging your children to express their emotions without needing to talk.

*Music - play a wide range of music to your child and ask them to choose a song that best describes how they are feeling. Dance or sing along to the music and/or use the song as a platform for further discussion.
Here is a link to a playlist that I have used which covers the four basic emotions of happy, sad, angry and fear:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3hcA1y9PCcRhp4ueDvkaJT?si=pSRHnAnKS52Vvz0nkwb00w

*Drawing - ask your child to draw how they are feeling. Talk to them about the colours they are choosing, the speed they are drawing, if they know why they are feeling that way.

*Stories - ask your child to choose a story that matches how they are feeling or make up a story with their input.

*If your child can write encourage them to write down how they are feeling. Alternatively they could draw pictures instead of words. (If you haven't tried journaling I highly recommend it. Just write whatever comes to mind and you might be surprised by what comes up for you).

It is perfectly normal for both children and adults to be feeling a lot of difficult and conflicting emotions at the moment. Go easy on yourself and them, ride the waves as they happen and keep the emotions flowing.

29/03/2020

MUSIC

Music is a great way of keeping your negativity bias in check and increasing your happiness. It can change your mood and it can do it quickly.

Put on some happy music and dance and sing with your children. It will boost your mood and give you some exercise!

If you're stuck for ideas here are some of the happiest songs according to the internet:

*Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
*Happy - Pharrell Williams
*Don't Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
*Hey Ya - Outcast
*Best Day of My Life - American Authors
*Mmm Bop - Hanson
*I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas

Leave a comment with your favourite happy songs x

28/03/2020

Did you know that your brain is hardwired to pay more attention to negative or dangerous stimuli than the positive and pleasant?
This is called our negativity bias, and with all the bad news and fear evoking media we are currently experiencing we need to consciously override this by being mindful of all the positive things in our lives.

GRATITUDE is a great way to keep our negativity bias in check. By being mindful of all we have to be thankful for we strengthen the positives.

There are lots of great ways that we can encourage gratitude in our children (and ourselves). Here are a few ideas.

* Gratitude Journal
Drawing or writing down 3 - 5 things that you are grateful for a few times a week. Research has shown that keeping a gratitude journal is an effective way of boosting happiness. Keep it simple but make sure that it isn't repetitive.

*Gratitude Jar When a member of your family is grateful for something they write it down and put it in a jar. When it feels right get together and read out all the things you have to be grateful about.

*Skittles gratitude game.
Open a bag of skittles and have each player take a skittle. They then have to say something they are thankful for (and why) that matches the Gratitude Game list below:
-Purple - A person I am grateful for and why
-Yellow - A Place I am grateful for and why
-Red - An Event I am grateful for and why
-Green - A Thing I am grateful for and why
-Orange - Something about myself I am grateful for and why

There are many alternatives to this game online. This is just one:

https://teachbesideme.com/gratitude-game-pick-sticks/

(Picture sourced from https://www.tremendo.us/ness/2016/10/06/finding-gratitude)