By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
This week Tatty Bumpkin helps her friend Bee to get fit and 'beelieve' in himself! As with all the Tatty Bumpkin poses we encourage parents and carers to do the pose along with their child. This is because children learn a great deal from watching, they also ‘bond’ with other people whilst they are moving and playing with them.
This week’s Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is Bee
You can do Bee pose lying down ....
or sitting up ....
...or even whilst you are waiting in queue!
Bee Pose Pointers!
Bee Pose for Parents and Carers Bee pose is actually a form of breathing in Yoga. It is called ‘Brahmari’ from the Sanskrit for a humming black bee. Bee pose will give you the chance to focus on your own breathing and help you to relax (see ‘Why it is good for me’ section in this blog).
Start by finding a comfortable place to sit
Relax your shoulders. To do this it is often easier to imagine you are increasing the distance between your ears and your shoulders. Let your shoulders move downwards and slightly backwards but be careful not to force this movement. Breathe normally and close your eyes.
Keeping your lips lightly sealed, breathe in through your nose and then breathe out making the sound of the letter ‘M’, basically a humming sound, until you need to breathe in again.
The longer you sustain your ‘Bee hum’, the more relaxing Bee pose is likely to be—but forcing the breath beyond your capacity can have the reverse effect, causing even more stress. So only do ‘Bee hums’ for as long as it is comfortable.
With your eyes still closed, repeat this Bee breathing pattern for a few minutes, or less. Just hum for as long as it feels good. Do not overdo it as it can make you feel dizzy.
To make the sound feel more ‘intense’ you can put your hands over your ears whilst you do the hums.
Finally, spend a few breaths sitting quietly and seeing if you notice a change in your mood – hopefully you should be feeling calmer!
Bee pose for your child
Now encourage your child to ‘buzz’ along with you!
Guide your child to take a deep breath in and then to make a buzzing sound ‘Bzzzz!’
Once they have the idea of buzzing, see if your child can put their hands over their ears and have a go at buzzing again. If your child is younger you may have to help them. Ask your child if the buzzing seems louder or softer and does it feel nice?
Older children might now want to have a go at buzzing with their hands over their ears and with their eyes closed!
Remind your child not to do more than 3 breaths in a row, otherwise they may feel dizzy!
As you do Bee pose with your child you will both have a chance to:
1. To relax together
Recent research (1) highlights the powerful effect a child’s cry has on most adults, regardless of whether they look after children or not. Areas in our mid-brains associated with the ‘fight, flight and fright’ response appear to be quickly activated when we hear a baby crying as opposed to any other man–made sound. This research is backed up by findings which show we also have a hormonal response to a crying baby or child i.e.
Men produce more testosterone which can lead to increased stress levels. Interestingly, fathers who are more involved with the care of their baby or child seem to produce less testosterone on hearing a child’s cry - this may mean that they are less vulnerable to stress when coping with a crying child.
Women release more cortisol - a hormone associated with the stress response.
As a result of these neurological and hormonal responses:
Our blood pressure and heart rate rise.
Our breathing becomes shallower and faster.
Researchers suggest that these changes in body state possibly reflect an increased need for our bodies to be ‘ready for action’ and more alert. However, over time, these responses can lead to an increase in overall stress levels. Young children will often respond to ‘increased state of alertness’ by becoming more anxious themselves - breathing quicker and perhaps crying more and so the tension builds....
But help is at hand.... if you take slower breaths whilst doing Bee pose - your child will be also be encouraged to slow their breathing. As a direct result of taking slower breaths your heart rates will automatically decrease and this will hopefully lead to in an increased feeling of calmness between you and your child.
The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week
Remember, for you and your child to gain the full benefit of all the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga and multi-sensory activities, find out about your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html. Or, ask your child’s nursery if they are doing Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity sessions as part of their day. Our qualified Tatty Bumpkin Teachers are fully trained in aspects of child development and Yoga and are kept fully up-to-date by our professional team of paediatric physiotherapists, Yoga teachers and musicians. All the Tatty Bumpkin stores are aligned to the Early Years Foundation Stage this means the sessions not only enhance your child’s physical skills they also develop their communication, social and thinking skills. If your child is going to a Tatty Bumpkin class this week they will have the chance to:
Improve their physical skills as they get fit with Bee - doing bee press ups, bee jumps and even swimming in the duck pond!
Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they imagine they're in a garden full of flowers and think about games which will make Bee stronger.
Progress their communication skills as they listen to the Tatty Bumpkin frog song and follow the moves.
But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they count out Bee star jumps and press ups and investigate the multi-sensory Tatty Bumpkin props.
Investigating with all our senses!
Love Tatty Bumpkin x
1 - C. Parsons, et al (2013) Ready for action: a role for the human midbrain in responding to infant vocalizations; Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. http://f1000.com/prime/718046035?key=2jnd7zRjkErCSQv
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