My Yoga mat is a therapeutic place; very much like the therapy room, it can help you rehearse situation, relationships, knowledge of yourself and a way of being (with your coach and others). If you are new to Yoga you will have heard the casual mention of On-and-Off-the-Mat benefits of Yoga. Just like Yoga, this is a multi-dimensional concept which is multilayered in intensity and may apply to your physical, mental or emotional self.

How can Yoga help us navigate the meta changes that come our way in life, by this I mean the 3 Ds of Death, Disease or Divorce.  Divorce is a separation, a change of house, jobs, school, or relationship, these are truly disruptive life events whether we embrace them with excitement and confidence or anxiety and uncertainty.

As the end of the school year approaches, I like to address ‘Change of School' as an important topic of reflection in my Children Yoga classes (ranging Y1 to Y6, so covering 2 big school changes, but also moving up to a new class, change of routines and teachers). I tell the story (all in Yoga poses of course) of a little girl whose family has just moved house from a flat. In this new house, there is an upstairs, with a long dark hallway, at the end of which a door, is shut. She has been told not to go in. She let her imagination wonder as to what might be behind this door (forgotten toys, monsters, giants, pirates etc.). She makes three attempts to break the rule, and eventually, after reciting that she could not think about anything else today in school – she opens the door! I will keep the suspense as to what she finds there but this is a super story to talk about

  • the stories that run up our minds
  • how our brains wanders to find explanations to mysteries
  • the rising anxiety leading to not thinking about anything else (the mind shrinks literally)
  • it is okay to be scared of new environment and big changes: very natural indeed!
  • how we can become aware, and accepting of the story, and trust that it can pass.
  • talk to trusting carers and parents to gain explanations

By discussing how our character feels, and acting it out in our poses, finding a calming breath, talking to each other about it, we are truly making yoga experiential and rehearsing scenarios that children are facing at the end of school and ahead of September.