Tatty Bumpkin’s Rowing and Mouse Yoga Poses – Sensory food for the brain!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist 

Currently, in Tatty Bumpkin Classes, children will be focusing on two Yoga activities:rowing and mouse. 

Both of these poses will stimulate your child’s proprioceptive sensory system, helping them to become more aware of their body position and to manage their emotional state, especially their ‘level of alertness’. 

What is Proprioception?

In 1826 Sir Charles Bell described proprioception as a sense - he called it the sixth sense! He defined it as the sensation which makes us aware of our body position both when we are still and when we are moving. 

More recent definitions of proprioception include 'our awareness of any changes in the length and tension of our muscles when we move our joints'. This means our proprioceptive sense is stimulated every time we move a muscle or push or pull on our joints - even against a very slight resistance.
The specialised cells that pick up proprioception- our proprioceptors – are found deep in our muscles, tendons and joints.  

To become more aware of your proprioceptive sense and how amazing it is – try this game:

Take one hand above your head, carefully bring your index finger of that hand down to touch your nose. No problem? Now try it with your eyes closed – be careful not to poke your eye! You may be amazed at how accurate you are even though you cannot track the path of your finger with your eyes – this is your proprioceptive sense at work! 

Touch your nose with your eyes closed!

• It is our proprioceptive sense which will help us to use just right amount of force to pick up a heavy bag of books or a lighter piece of paper. 
• Our proprioceptive sense works with our sense of touch to help us to grip a pencil or a glass with just the right amount of pressure. 
• Our proprioceptive sense works with our vestibular sense (movement sense) to help us move and explore in a safe and coordinated way. 

A Healthy Proprioceptive System and your Child 

A healthy proprioceptive system will allow your child:

• To write efficiently and smoothly with a pencil - without pushing so hard that they break the tip or go through the paper. 
• To drink from a paper cup without crushing it. 
• To hold a family pet gently!
• To actively play and explore in a coordinated and efficient way – not being too rough with their friends or bumping into too many things! 

Children using their proprioception to play together in a Tatty Bumpkin class

The Regulating Role of Proprioception 

So far I have talked about how the proprioceptive system helps us to be more aware of our body and so co-ordinate our movement – whether we are looking or not – but proprioception also has a wondrous effect on our emotional state and hence our behaviour. 

Proprioception is the sense our bodies will accept and tolerate the best-along with deep pressure touch for this reason it is often called the ‘safe sense’ by paediatric occupational and physiotherapists. Proprioception has regulatory influence over all our sensory systems and helps us to manage our ‘level of arousal’, this is especially true for children.

Proprioception can have

• A calming effect on your child. For example if they have become:
• Very excited as a result of movement e.g. after jumping up and down or visiting fairground or soft play areas. 
• Very anxious or upset as a result of touch e.g. they have felt something they dislike – scratchy clothes!

• An organising effect on your child. For example if they are finding it hard to sit still - constantly fidgeting. 

• A gentle alerting effect on your child. For example if they are finding it hard to wake up in the morning! 

This means proprioceptive rich activities can be useful for your child at any-time during their waking day in almost any situation –it’s your 'go-to sense'! 
Providing your child with appropriate amounts of proprioceptive rich activities throughout their day, as often they need or desire them, could have a very positive effect on their behaviour. 

Movement and Proprioception – The 'Hard Work' sense 

For our proprioceptive sense to be fully stimulated we need to actively move or work our muscles hard! Therapists also call this sense the ‘hard work’ sense!

For example, if we wrap our arms around us we will put pressure on our skin, muscles and joints – but this would largely stimulate our touch receptors. To stimulate our proprioceptors we need to actively squeeze or muscles!
Similarly someone can give us a hug – again this would stimulate our deep touch receptors but if we actively pushed against the hug (in a calm way!) or squeezed our own body ourselves we would also stimulate our proprioceptors. 

Now let’s look at our two Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activities and see the how they can give your child a rich proprioceptive experience. 

Tatty Bumpkin's Rowing Yoga Activity  

Rowing pose is a great activity for your child to do with you – do respect your body though - if you know you have any health issues i.e. back, neck problems always consult a health professional first. 

• Find a clear place on a mat or carpet where you can both do the pose without bumping into anything.  

• Remember to take off socks and shoes – this will enable you and your child to use your feet effectively as you move in rowing pose. 

Row.row the boat!

• Start by sitting opposite your child – with your legs spread apart out in front of you.  Guide your child to position their legs inside yours. If you have tight hamstrings you may have to bend your knees a little so you don’t strain your back.

• Gently hold each other’s wrists - this is much more comfortable than holding hands. 

• Now rock backwards and forwards – working together - one person rocks back as the other comes forward. As you rock sing ‘Row, row the boat!’ This will help you keep a steady rhythm which is important – see below. 

• You, or your child, might feel some ‘tightness’ at the back of your legs as you stretch out your hamstring muscles. This should just be a gentle stretch, if you feel you are straining your back then do bend your knees some more. 

• Watch your child as you do the pose – if they are starting to get too rough or over-excited, stop! Repeat the pose this time offering your child some resistance, so they have to pull more to move your forwards, and keep a steady rhythm. See below on why this can help. 

• Do rowing pose for a verse or two of ‘Row, row the boat’ then take a rest. This will ensure your child does not get too excited. 

Tatty Bumpkin’s Rowing Yoga Activity and the Proprioceptive Sense

As your child your child contracts and stretches their muscles in rowing pose, working their shoulder and tummy muscles,  they will be stimulating their proprioceptive sense. You can gently activate your child’s proprioceptive sense further by:

• Providing them with some resistance as they pull you towards them 
• Encouraging your child to gently offer you some resistance as you pull them towards you! 

As they move their head back and forth in rowing pose your child will also be stimulating another body sense - their vestibular sense. I will talk about this sense in a later blog on Tatty Bumpkin Monkey pose – but essentially the vestibular sense is the ‘volume control button’ for our body. If we move our head vigorously up and down, or round and round, we will be stimulating our vestibular sense and will wake up our whole body! We will feel more alert but doing these activities for too long can make us over-excited or sick! In rowing pose the back and forth head movements are just gently stimulating and if you and your child rock to the steady beat of ‘Row, row the boat’ you will be stimulating your vestibular senses in a controlled way. 

Because of its impact on proprioceptive system, rowing pose is an great ‘movement break’ for your child. You can do the activity to help your child become more alert if they are feeling drowsy, after sitting too long, or to help them regain focus (for homework) if they are fidgeting and wanting to move. 



Additional Benefits of Rowing Pose

1. Improves sitting balance and posture
As your child rocks back and forth in rowing pose they will be working their tummy and back muscles. Strengthening these muscles will help your child maintain a good sitting posture. In addition, your child will be refining their sitting balance skills - these will help them be more aware of an upright sitting posture.  

2. Develops  social and communication skills
As your child does rowing pose with their friends, their nursery worker or you, they will be developing their social and communication skills. 

Tatty Bumpkin's  Mouse Yoga Activity  

Mouse pose is another great activity for your child to do with you. 

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface e.g. mat or carpet where you can the pose without bumping into anything.  

• Remember to take off socks and shoes so your child is more aware  of their feet as they curl them up. 

A tiny, little mouse!

• Sit back on your heels on the mat or carpet opposite your child and encourage them to do the same.  Show your child how to they can curl forwards to bring their head down to the floor in front of their knees. Often the instruction ‘kiss your knees’ can be helpful. 

• If your child lies on their tummy instead, reassure them and show them the pose again – you might have to gently guide younger children into the curled mouse position. 

• Once curled up encourage older children to imagine they are squeezing their body into the smallest possible space – just like a tiny, tiny mouse! Remember to truly stimulate their proprioceptive sense your child needs to actively squeeze their body and work their muscles. 

• Encourage your child to hold the mouse pose for 5 – 10 seconds.  Then maybe move up into crawl to scamper forwards like a mouse on the mat!! 

• Repeat mouse pose a few times – encouraging your child to curl up and squeeze their body, 

Tiny, little mouse!

Tatty Bumpkin’s Mouse Yoga Activity and the Proprioceptive Sense

As your child curls up and squeezes their body to be a tiny little mouse they will be stimulating their proprioceptive sense. Because they are not moving their head in this pose your child will not have the added stimulation from their vestibular sense – this makes mouse pose a very calming, organising pose for your child. 

Encourage your child to be a mouse if they are finding it hard to settle down after playing with their friends or are needing to calm down for bath and bed after being out shopping in a busy street with you. 


Additional Benefits of Mouse Pose 

1. Improves muscle strength and co-ordination
In mouse pose your child will be curling up or ‘flexing’ their whole body. Full body flexion requires the brain and body to activate all of the flexor muscles of the body at once, which not only helps your child to strengthen these muscle groups but also helps your child to co-ordinate them as a group. 

2. Develops fine motor skills
Encourage your child to move their fingers to ‘twitch their mouse whiskers’ this will help them strengthen their fingers for fine motor skills such as writing and doing up buttons.

Proprioceptive Activities to Help your Child Regulate Themselves over Christmas! 

Christmas is exciting! So naturally your child may spend a great deal of their day in a hyper-alert state.  

In the next post I will suggest some proprioceptive activities which can help your child feel more grounded at this time of year! 

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?  

Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids
• A great sense of job satisfaction and
• Flexible working to fit around your own family

Find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at: http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html. 

Tatty Bumpkin’s Owl Yoga Activity – A wise activity for your child’s back health and handwriting skills.

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist 

Tatty Bumpkin's Owl Yoga activity is a fun way for your child to stretch and 'open out' their upper back and chest muscles – giving them a chance to counteract a hunched sitting position. 

Owl Pose – Tatty Bumpkin’s Yoga Activity for the Week 

• Try to do Owl pose with your child - they will find it much easier to do if they can copy you and doing the pose together will support the bonding process between you both. Do respect your body though - if you know you have any health issues i.e. back, neck problems always consult a health professional first. 

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface e.g. mat or carpet where you can both do Owl pose without bumping into anything.  

• Remember to take off socks and shoes – this will enable you and your child to use your feet effectively as you move in Owl pose.

• Start the pose by either curling forwards with your arms tucked in (see picture above) or sit back on your heels on the mat with your arms resting by your sides - encourage your child to copy you.

• Then ‘Twit, twoo!' Kneel up together whilst spreading your arms out to your sides and then over your heads - see picture above. Hoot “Twit-twooo!”

• Repeat Owl pose several times encouraging your child to really stretch their arms out wide – they may be surprised how far their arms can reach. These arm movements are the perfect antidote to 'texting' and typing – allowing your child to gently stretch out their shoulder, back, chest and neck muscles in a way that feels comfortable to them.

Adaptations and Progressions

To make Owl Pose Easier

If you notice your child is finding it hard to take their arms out to their sides and above their head whilst balancing in kneeling – guide them to do the arm movements of Owl pose sitting cross-legged on the mat or carpet. It's far better that your child does wide, accurate arm movements so they can experience the stretch in their upper body. 

To make Owl Pose Harder 

Start in the squatting position on your mat, balancing on your toes, with your arms by your sides – encourage your child to copy you. 
Together come up into standing waving your arms over your head as before. Hoot “Twit Twooo!” Bring your arms back down to your sides as you squat down. 
Repeat a few times with your child to be truly wise owls!

Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Owl Yoga Activity for Your Child 

Owl pose will give your child the opportunity to:

1. Strengthen their core muscles  
As your child does Owl pose they will be activating and strengthening their ‘core’ muscles - especially their back and shoulder muscles. Strength in these muscles is not only important for more complex sporting skills e.g. rugby, dance or tennis, but also is crucial for good posture, writing skills and daily living skills e.g. dressing.

2. Mobilise and gently stretch their chest muscles
As your child spreads their arms out to either side in Owl pose they will be stretching their ‘pectoral’ muscles which run across the front of their upper chest. These muscle groups can often become tight because - as children do activities such as writing, typing, using mobile phones they are holding these muscles in the shortened position. 

3. Develop their balance skills
As your child does Owl pose they will be refining their balance skills. Balance is a complex process - as children learn to sit, stand and move around they will be developing mature ‘balance reactions’ naturally. If you provide your child with plenty of (safe) opportunities to gently challenge their sense of balance this will help them to refine their balance reactions further.

4. Strengthen their hip and leg muscles
If you child is doing the harder version of Owl pose, moving from squat to stand, they will be specifically strengthening their hip and leg muscles.

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?  

Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids
• A great sense of job satisfaction and
• Flexible working to fit around your own family

Find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at: http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html. 

Tatty Bumpkin Halloween Ideas!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

Here are a few ideas to help your child be 'bendy, giggly, clever and strong' this Halloween.

4 Fun Ideas for a Bendy Body

1. Ghost print walk! Make your very own spooky steps around the house! See http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2012/10/2-ghost-footprint-games.html

Be sure to tape your footprints to the floor to prevent spooky slips!

2. Build your own den.  Build a den this Halloween half term either inside or outside -  see   http://nurturestore.co.uk/building-dens for ideas.

3. Build a little an elf or fairy den! Occupational Therapist Angela Hanscom observes “making fairy teepees is meaningful to the child, is a form of play, and inspires their imagination” http://www.balancedandbarefoot.com/blog/fairy-teepees

4. Go for a ‘Woodland Walk’. The Woodland Trust lists it’s best autumn woods! See https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/news/latest/top-autumn-woods/. On your walk - collect some autumn leaves for…. see next bit!

3 Tricky Ideas for Clever Fingers

These activity ideas are good for a range of ages.

We hope you enjoy them but remember to keep safe and supervise young ones closely. Some of the activities are not suitable for very young children as they involve small craft pieces which might be swallowed.

1. Awesome Autumn leaves! The Woodland Trust has some great ideas for autumn leaf activities along with some handy pdf downloads See http://tinyurl.com/n3g466w

2. Make a splendid spider’s web. A great ‘spidery’ idea for toddlers and young children promoting their hand skills, eye/hand co-ordination, proprioception and concentration skills not to mention their persistence!  http://tinyurl.com/omdf9at

3. Send a secret leaf message. Find a wondrous leaf – write/draw your secret message on it – then leave it for someone special - or make some fantastic leaf art in the woods... 

3 Tasty Ideas to keep you Strong

1. Scary Skeleton!  Vegetables may never seem boring again – to make your own scary skeleton see http://www.brit.co/healthy-halloween-recipes/

2. Spooky ‘Owly’ Snacks. Simple idea to make a snack sensational!

3. ‘Good for you’ Banana Ghosts and Tempting Pumpkin Tangerines. Freaky fruity ideas from http://creativeandhealthyfunfood.com/healthy-halloween-fun-food-ideas/

2 Brilliant Books Ideas for a Clever Mind

1. Scaredy Squirrel! After all that activity why not settle down with a good book The ‘Scaredy Squirrel’ books are great fun and all about ‘having a go!’ See http://tinyurl.com/l5taydb

2. Non-scary Halloween book. If Halloween is all just a little too scary for your little one why not try ‘The Bumpy Little Pumpkin’ by M. Cuyler and W. Hillenbrand and choose the pumpkin YOU like best!

And Finally –Six Scary Jokes for a Giggly Halloween

1. What does a ghost do to stay safe in a car?

He puts on his sheet belt.

2. What is the best way to speak to a monster?

 From a long distance away!

3. How do you make a witch itch?

 Take away the W

4. Why didn’t the skeleton go to the ball?

Because he had no BODY to go with. (That is so old!)

5. Why do witches wear name tags?

So they will know which witch is which.

6. Why do people like vampires so much?

Because they’re - FANGtastic!

Love Tatty Bumpkin! 

Tatty Bumpkin’s Dog Pose -The 'All-rounder for your Child!' Stretch and strengthen core muscles, activate body senses!

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist 

Gently stretching and strengthening key muscle groups whilst activating the body senses - Dog pose is a great all-rounder for both you and your child. 

Tatty Bumpkin Dog Yoga activity can provide your child with the ideal ‘movement break’ – whether they are losing focus over homework or struggling to calm to themselves. 

Dog Pose – Tatty Bumpkin’s Yoga Activity for the Week

Stretch into Dog Pose - then see if you can wag your tail!

Try to do dog pose with you child as they will find it much easier to copy you and doing the pose together will support the bonding process between you both. 
However, do respect your body, if you know you have any health issues e.g. back, neck  or wrist issues always take extra care and stop if your feel any pain. For further information on whether this pose is suitable for you always consult a health professional.  

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface (e.g. mat or carpet)  where you can do Dog pose with your child without bumps! 

• Remember to take off socks and shoes – this will enable you and your child to use your feet effectively as you balance in Dog pose. 

• Start Dog pose by encouraging your child to move onto their hands and knees with you -  in cat pose.

Start in Cat pose

• Check to make sure your own and your child’s hands are flat on the floor ideally with your fingers spread apart a little.

• Now gently push up through your hands and feet and lift your hips (bottom) up into the air – into dog pose. You and your child should now just be balancing on your hands and feet. You can show your older child how they can tuck their toes under their feet to help them push up through the floor.

• Keep your knees bent to start with - this will help you and your child to stretch out your back. Then see if you can straighten your knees one at a time - but be careful not to ‘lock’ them. If your child is hypermobile at the knees and likely to over-extend them - encourage them to imagine they have a little butterfly under their toes – which they must not squash! This will help your child to only press their feet gently into the floor.  

• Dog pose is a ‘back’ stretch. So if you, or your older child, feels tightness down the back of your legs and knees as you do the pose - bend your knees a little more.
  As you do this you will be able you to lengthen your back further. 

• Encourage your child to see if they can now look through their legs by putting their head between their upper arms – seeing the world from upside down! 

• Finally you can bark at each other or even ‘go for a walk’ – moving forwards, backwards and even sideways across the mat, carpet or garden! 

• If your child is older - encourage them to lift one leg in the air to wag their doggy tails! 

Dogs waving their tails!

Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Dog Yoga Activity for Your Child 

Dog pose will give your child the opportunity to:

1. Strengthen their ‘core’ muscles. 
Dog pose helps your child to ‘waken up’ and strengthen all their core muscles i.e. their back, tummy, shoulder and hip muscles, but especially their shoulder muscles. Activity in these muscle groups can have a positive impact on your child’s fine motor skills such as writing and dressing. 

2. Stretch and lengthen their back muscles. 
In dog pose your child will have the chance to gently stretch and lengthen their spinal muscles. Whilst sitting on sofas or chairs or carrying heavy rucksacks it's just so easy to collapse into a the slumped or slightly crooked spinal position - over time this posture can start to feel 'normal' for your child. If your child does dog pose as part of their day they will increase their awareness of what a straight, lengthened spine feels like. 

How a slumped posture may affect your child see http://wellnessforlife.com.sg/works/poor-posture/

Carrying a bag on one shoulder puts the back into a crooked or misaligned position see http://onsitewellnesscheck.com/page5/page5.html

3. Stimulate their senses for sensory organisation and learning.
When your child does Dog pose they will be stimulating several of their senses - their visual sense, their sense of touch (as they feel the floor) and their two body senses i.e. their proprioceptive sense and their vestibular sense. 
Our proprioceptive sense tells us about our body position. It's stimulated when we push and pull with our bodies or lift heavy things. As your child does Dog pose they will stimulate this sense as they lift their body weight from the floor to balance on their hands and feet. Activities which stimulate the proprioceptive sense are usually alerting - but in an organising way! 
Our vestibular sense tells us where our head is in space. Again your child will stimulate this sense as they do Dog pose.  
Doing ‘sensory rich’ activities, which involve the steady stimulation of several senses, will help your child to organise their senses for movement.  This sensory organisation is also fundamental process for learning.  

4. Relax their upper back and neck muscles. 
After sitting at a school desk or after carrying a heavy rucksack for a period of time children may experience tension in their upper back and neck muscles – Dog pose is a great reliever for this tension. 

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?  

Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids
• A great sense of job satisfaction and
• Flexible working to fit around your own family
• Find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at: http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html. 

Leap into autumn with Tatty Bumpkin’s Frog Yoga Activity - to develop balance skills and manage 'levels of alertness'

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist 

Children need regular movement opportunities throughout their day; not only to develop key physical skills but also to help them refocus. Tatty Bumpkin frog pose can provide that great ‘movement break’ for your child!

Frog Pose – Tatty Bumpkin’s Yoga Activity for the Week 

• Try to do Frog pose  with you child – slowly and carefully - so they can copy you and join on the fun. Do respect your body though - if you know you have back or neck problems always consult a health professional. 

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface (e.g. mat or carpet) - where you can do frog pose without bumping into anything with your head arms or legs. 

• Remember to take off socks and shoes – this will enable you and your child to use your feet effectively as you jump. 

• You can do Tatty Bumpkin Frog pose along to Tatty Bumpkin Frog Song. This song guides you to do 4 frog jumps in a row and then to take a rest, under the lily pad, before jumping once more! See http://bit.ly/1q2kqVQ. 

• Begin frog pose curled up together on the mat or carpet - as if you’re both hiding under lily pads. 

Curl up under your lily pad! 

• Now imagine you’re waking up - move into the kneeling position. 

• If your child is older, encourage them to balance on their feet to squat. 

• Then 1, 2, 3, … bounce on your toes and leap into the air, taking your arms above your head! That’s jump 1!!

Jump 1!

• If your child is 3 years or over, encourage them to do their frog jump without putting their hands on the floor – this is one the key physical skills identified in the Early Years Foundation Stage http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/09/4Children_ParentsGuide_Sept_2015v4WEB1.pdf 

Physical skills for children 22 - 36 months

• If your child is younger see if they can bend and straighten their knees to jump as frogs! 

Jumping as little frogs

• Come back down into squatting position and then jump up once more – jump 2!

• Do 2 more frog jumps (4 in total) then curl up again on your mats and pretend to hide once more under your lily pads. This curled position will help your child to calm after the excitement of the jumps. 

• After spending about 10 secs curled up - repeat your 4 frog jumps before finishing the activity in the curled position. 

Curl up once more under your lily pad!

Progressions for Frog Pose 

If your child is older they may want to ‘have a go’ at doing frog jumps forwards, backwards and sideways! 

Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Frog Yoga Activity for Your Child 

Frog pose will give your child the opportunity to:

1. Strengthen their ‘core’ muscles 
As your child leaps as a frog, taking their arms above their head, they will be strengthening their gluteal (hip), abdominal, spinal and shoulder muscles. Your child needs these muscles to be strong and active so they can improve both their gross (whole body) and fine (hand) movement skills.

2. Strengthen their leg muscles 
Jumping will strengthen your child’s quadriceps (thigh), hamstrings, calf, ankle and foot muscles. Your child will be using their own body as a natural weight to ‘work’ these muscles. 

3. Develop their foot muscles 
As your child does Frog pose they will be stretching and strengthening their foot muscles in many ways: 

• Firstly they will be feeling the floor with their feet
• Then they will be using their feet to jump up from the floor 
• Finally they will be using their feet to land back down on the floor. 

4. Improve their balance skills
Staying still in the squatting position for a few seconds will challenge your child’s sense of balance. If your child is older encourage them to rock forwards onto the balls of their feet as they prepare to do their frog jump and to try and jump up and down without putting their hands on the floor.  

5. Raise and lower their ‘levels of alertness’
Jumping in frog pose will stimulate your child’s vestibular sense. This sense, stimulated by movement of the head, can be thought of as the ‘volume control’ for our bodies.  
As your child jumps up and down in frog pose - they will stimulating their vestibular sense -turning up their body’s volume - and hence feel more alert.  
As your child curls up under their lily pad with their head still - they will be quietening their vestibular sense - turning down their body’s volume and hence feel calmer.

Early experience of different states of alertness and moving between them will help your child to develop strategies for alerting and calming themselves when they need to. 

For further reading on the vestibular system and how it can help your child find that just right level of alertness see http://www.pillerchilddevelopment.com/literature/articles/2010/vestibularInput.php

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 
  
Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids
• A great sense of job satisfaction and
• Flexible working to fit around your own family

Find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at: http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html.

Relax and Calm with your child - Tatty Bumpkin Tummy Breathing Activity

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist 

Through all the rush of the new nursery and school year - support your child to cope with tiredness and anxiety by trying Tatty Bumpkin tummy breathing. 

We all need time to relax

A Bit about Breathing

We always have to breathe vital! But our breathing pattern alters in pattern and rhythm at different times of the day and in different emotional states, for example: sighing in despair, panting with exhaustion, holding our breath in fear and terror. 

Usually we breathe automatically, without thinking about it, but we can also alter our breathing pattern at will. 

Because of this unique relationship between our thinking and bodily processes, our breathing pattern can play an important  role in how much we are affected by stress. 

Indeed, breathing is one of the most sensitive indicators or warning signs of stress, because it is such a vital link between our minds and bodies. 

By consciously increasing our awareness about breathing and by practising breathing exercises it is possible to: 

• Improve our sense of well-being 
• Decrease our level of stress 
• Help to bring about interconnectedness between our minds and bodies.

We breathe in two different ways:

• Chest breathing 
• Abdominal (or diaphragmatic) breathing. 

Chest Breathing 

We usually chest breathe when we are exercising – we see our chest moving upwards and outwards. 
But if we constantly use chest breathing, it can make our body tense, as if it's under stress. This is because activated upper chest muscles can increase feelings of anxiety. 

Tummy (abdominal or diaphragmatic) Breathing 

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle, which separates our chest and abdomen. 

When we breathe in (inhalation) - our diaphragm contracts, flattens and moves downwards, sucking air into our lungs. As our diaphragm moves down, it pushes our abdominal contents down, which forces our abdominal wall outwards. 

When we breathe out (exhalation) our diaphragm relaxes and air passes out of our lungs. Our abdominal wall moves upwards helping the air to flow out of our lungs. See picture below. 

Tatty Bumpkin Yoga Activity Tummy Breathing 

For Adults

• As with any new exercise practice makes perfect! So try to do this exercise twice a day for short periods (with or without your child). Then you can use the technique to calm your mind whenever you find your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts or when you are experiencing pain. It's probably easier to learn abdominal breathing whilst lying down but once you get the hang of it you can do this form of breathing in sitting or standing. 

• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your tummy (abdomen). This will help you to gain an awareness of the movements of your chest and abdomen. See picture below for guidance on where to place your hands. 

• Start by taking a slow deep breath in through your nose imagining that you are sucking in all the air in the room and hold it for about 5-7 seconds  (or as long as you are able, do exceed 7 seconds).  As you breathe in the hand on your tummy should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that your diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of your lungs.

• Now slowly breathe out through your mouth for a count of 5-7 seconds. As you release the air from your lungs, gently tighten your tummy (abdominal) muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from your lungs. You should now feel the hand on tummy moving downwards. See picture below. 

• It is important to remember that to take a deep breath  - we need to focus on breathing in, and then  make sure we have breathed out fully. Repeat the ‘cycle’ 3 – 4 times.  

Tummy Breathing and Relaxation – With Your Child 

• Find two toy ducks (the non – squeaky kind!) or similar toys and esttle down with your child on a soft carpet or mat.  You may wish to listen to some gentle music i.e. Tatty Bumpkin Relax Song see http://bit.ly/1q2kqVQ

• Start by showing your child what to do. Lie down on your back (you may want to put a cushion under your knees to make your back comfortable) and place one for the ducks on your tummy.

• Using the tummy breathing technique above show your child how you can make the duck on your tummy go up and down by only using your breath! 

• Some children might find it useful to place their hands on your tummy so they can feel it go up and down. This is also a lovely ‘bonding’ experience for both of you. 

• Then guide your child to lie down with you and place the other toy duck or a toy on their tummy. Encourage your child to try and make their duck ‘bob up and down’ on their tummy by taking deeper breaths. Watch your child’s breathing to check that: 
• As they breathe IN their tummy is moving UPWARDS and OUTWARDS – so they are lifting their duck up with their tummy. 
• As they breathe OUT their tummy moves inwards and downwards – so letting their duck fall. 
• If your child is doing the movements the other way round i.e. as they breathe in they suck their tummy in – gently try to correct them. 

Only let your child do 3 or 4 breaths in a row and then to rest as you do not want them to become dizzy. 

Progressions for Tummy Breathing 

If your child is older they may want to have a go at tummy breathing whilst sitting up or standing so that they can use this kind of breathing to calmed themselves when they are feeling a anxious or stressed. Below is an exercise your child can practise so they tummy breathe whilst sitting. 

Balloon Breathing Technique for Children 

• Find a supportive seat for your child, ideally one with arms, and encourage them to sit up as straight as they can. 
• Guide your child to:
• Put both their hands on their tummy. 
• Then to keep their mouth closed and take a slow breath in through their nose.
• Tell your child to imagine, as they breathe in, that there is a balloon in their tummy and they are trying to fill it up with air. 
• Encourage your child to keep breathing in until they think the balloon in their tummy has enough air inside! Don’t encourage your child to breathe in too much as they may then find it hard to stay relaxed. Your child should be feeling their hands on their tummy are moving outwards – point this out to them. 
• When your child feels their ‘tummy balloon’ is full of air encourage them to imagine they have let go of the balloon, and the air is rushing out! Guide your child to breathe out slowly through their mouth (with pursed lips). They should no feel their hands on their tummy are coming back towards their body. Guide your child to do 4-5 breaths like this then to breathe normally. 

Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Tummy Breathing for You and Your Child 

Why Tummy Breathing is Good for You 

Abdominal breathing is the most efficient and relaxed way of getting enough air into your lungs.This type of breathing has two important effects on the body:

1. It is in itself relaxing compared to the ‘emergency mode’ breathing of the upper chest, which is an integral part of ‘fight or flight’ response to a stressful situation. 
2. It is typical of the regenerating processes such as when you are asleep, digesting food or the body is at peace.  

As you take deeper, slower breaths whilst practising abdominal breathing you will automatically be slowing your heart rate. This in turn can help you to relax and feel calmer. Allowing yourself a few minutes of relaxation over the course of your day can often give your energy levels a boost. 

Why Tummy Breathing is Good for your Child

As your child concentrates on ‘abdominal breathing’ and relaxes they will be: 

1. Increasing their awareness of their breath and its effect on their body. When your child takes deeper breaths, their breathing and heart rate will become slower and this in turn will help your child to calm down. Tummy breathing is a great skill to learn at a young age as it becomes harder to co-ordinate this movement as we get older. 

2. Learning the skill of ‘relaxation’. It is never too early for your child to become more aware of how their body feels when they are ‘quiet’ for a while. When we relax we often find it easier to think – it is the same for your child. Perhaps encourage them to think back on their day and what they have done or maybe what they would like to do. Reflection & thinking time is vital for learning & helps develop an imaginative & creative mind. Your child will start to think not just ‘what is’ but ‘what if?!’ Leaders, artists & entrepreneurs all think creatively. 

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?  

Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids
• A great sense of job satisfaction and
• Flexible working to fit around your own family

Find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at: http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html. 

'Tatty Bumpkiners' celebrating their achievements!