In the Middle of It with Amy Kelly, The Ish Girl
Mind-Body Awareness - Zoom Busters Part 2
This week is part two of the Zoom Busters series where my friend, Kellye Abernathy, and I are sharing some strategies that will help you show your teens how to practice that mind-body awareness.
When I was 12, I grew 6 inches in 12 months. The growing pains alone were excruciating, In addition, there was the awkwardness that comes from your brain getting caught up to your physical size. There’s a period of adjustment because your arms and legs don’t end up in the same place when you move them as they did yesterday.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
I was well into my thirties before I got the hang of it. That connection between the physical feelings I had and how they impacted me mentally and emotionally. Cranky and out of sorts? Yeah, that probably means I’m hungry or tired. Shoulders tight and jaws achy? That probably means I’ve got some anxiety going on, and that’s where I’m holding it.
I’m on a lifelong journey to connect all the dots that make up me – the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual sides of me. And I want the same thing for my teens. For your teens too!
MEET KELLYE, OUR ZOOM BUSTERS CREATOR
Kellye is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with over 500 hours of specialized training. She has a passion for helping others and volunteers a generous amount of time serving and mentoring crisis-survivors.
She has put together an amazing set of what she calls Zoom Busters for teachers and parents to do with their students who are learning virtually.
WHY ZOOM BUSTERS?
We know that it’s difficult for anyone to sit at a computer hour after hour – especially teens! These Zoom Busters are 3-5-minute stretching and breathing exercises that you can do with your students to help them reset and refocus.
There are 6 Zoom Buster sets, and they can be done individually for shorter breaks, or consecutively for a full-body energization.
PROPER SET-UP FOR ZOOM BUSTERS
In the last episode, Kellye and I talked about the importance of setting up proper posture before each of the Zoom Busters. You can check up the video for that below. Anytime Kellye refers to the set-up posture, that’s what she’s talking about, so if you haven’t watched or listened to it, I encourage you to do so before moving on to any of the actual exercises.
Today, Kellye is walking us through the first 2 Zoom Buster sets – the first is for the shoulders, the second is for the face. Yep – you heard that right. You’ll have to listen to find out what that looks like!
There are videos demonstrating these Zoom Busters below as well, so be sure to check those out.
YOUR NOSE KNOWS
Last week, Kellye and I talked about the book Breath, by James Nestor. Because we practiced Alternate Nostril Breathing – if you remember I was a little sketchy on it – I wanted to do a bit of research. Here’s what I discovered.
Right Nostril Breathing:
Speeds up circulation.
Warms the body.
Increases cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.
Activates the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight-flight-freeze” mechanism).
Increases blood flow to the left hemisphere of the brain, specifically your prefrontal cortex.
The left side of the brain is associated with logical decisions, language, and computing.
Left Nostril Breathing:
Is connected to the parasympathetic system (the “rest-and-relax” side).
Lowers blood pressure.
Cools the body.
Reduces anxiety.
Shifts blood flow to the right side of the brain.
The right hemisphere of the brain is associated with creative thoughts, the formation of mental abstractions, and the production of negative emotions.
CROSS-BODY ACTIVITIES
That cross-hemisphere concept made me think of something I used to do in my classroom. It helped my students wake up and refocus.
Because cross-body activities can activate both sides of the brain, I had students do this whenever they seemed lethargic or antsy.
The Crossbody Shuffle
Stand up.
Take your left hand, move it across your body, and grab your right earlobe.
Holding on to your earlobe, take your right hand and place it on your nose.
Check to make sure your left arm is closest to our body, with your right arm crossed over in front of it.
Lift one foot, so that you’re only standing on one foot.
Rotate in a circle by hopping.
EMPOWERING STUDENTS WITH ZOOM BUSTERS
What I love about these first two Zoom Busters is that Kellye draws our attention to mind-body awareness. She really has students think about where they’re holding tension. Once they can identify that, they are empowered to use the Zoom Busters they've learned when they need them.
In addition, it's empowering for students to understand the different crossbody movements that help activate different brain hemispheres. Especially if they can note the side of the brain where they most identify. Once they’ve done that, they’ll be able to choose movements that activate the hemisphere where they feel more challenged.