Mindfulness: The Harry Potter Way
If your children are like mine, I bet they love Harry Potter. Most of my students even if they haven't read Harry Potter, have watched the movies and are familiar with the characters.
Before you do these exercises, the Harry Potter Way, take kids through Harry Potter, the Wizarding World and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding. Remind them of Harry's character and the many adventures of Harry and his friends (Hermione and Ron).
Train Breathing:
Imagine you are on the train for your visit to the Hogwarts school. Sit down with your legs crossed and hands gently on your knees. Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out release their air in bursts to sound like a steam train. “Puh! Puh! Puh!”
Nagini Breathing:
Keep your eyes closed. Take a deep breatth in and as you breathe out make a “Sssssssss” sound.
Buckbeak Breathing:
Breathe in to the count of 7 and then as you slowly breathe out as if you are blowing out fire. To add to the drama ask the children to roll their chins down to their chest as they breathe in and roll their heads up and back so they are pointing their noses to the sky as they breathe out and blow out fire.
Buckbeak Pose:
Ask the children to kneel down, then slowly draw their bodies up so they are kneeling up. Slowly and carefully ask them to bring their right leg forward so that it is bent and their right foot is firmly on the floor. Slowly ask the children to raise their arms up, keeping them straight and their palms facing each other, until they have their arms straight above their heads. (You could even get the children to make claws with the hands as they go up for an added bit of drama).
Hedwig Pose:
Stand with your feet slightly apart. Lean forward a little and straighten your arms in front of you as you breathe in. As you breathe out bring your arms back as if flapping your wings until they are behind you with your palms facing each other.
Crookshank Pose:
Kneeling with your knees slightly apart, place your palms shoulder width apart on the floor in front of you, curve your back and curl your chin down to your chest as you breathe in. As you breathe out bring your chin up to the sky and drop your spine down, curving the base of your back. Add a little "meow" for extra drama.
Elder Wand pose:
Standing with both feet on the ground, shoulder width apart slowly bring one leg up so you are placing the sole of your foot against the opposite knee (as though you were going the tree pose). Once your foot is in position slowly raise the opposite hand up as if pointing a magic wand at the sky.
After all the posing if they feel magically powerful, ask them to end their session with the following breathing:
7/11 Breathing:
Inhale through the nose to the count of 7 and exhale through the mouth to the count of 11.
Belly Breathing:
Lying on the floor ask the children to place their hands on their stomach and feel their tummy rise as they breathe in and fall as they breathe out.
