How do you feel when someone yells at you, “RELAX!” Are you relaxed? Or are you startled, tense, and holding your breath?
Relaxing is one of the key ingredients to great visualizing. Let’s get some practice in learning how to relax.
Relaxation for children
Scrunch and Relax Activity
Purpose: Learn how to relax.
Instructions to child:
Find a quiet, comfortable place to lie down or sit.
Gently allow your eyes to close.
Do you want a blanket to cover yourself, or a pillow to make you
comfortable?
(Pause)
Start by tightening and relaxing your muscles.
(Show her how to squeeze her fists and then unclench them.)
Next, tighten your legs; now let them go.
(Pause)
Scrunch up your face tight, tighter, tighter! Now relax your face.
(Go through each body part, tightening then relaxing.)
Now make all parts of your body as tight as you can and count to five.
(Pause)
Relax your whole body by letting your muscles go soft.
(Pause)
How do your muscles feel when they are all tight?
(Pause)
What does it feel like when they relax?
(Pause)
Continue playing this game, refining which muscles to tighten and
then relax.
From Dr. Lynn Hellerstein book, See It. Say It. Do It!
A pioneer in vision therapy and developmental optometry, Dr. Lynn Hellerstein is the founder of Hellerstein & Brenner Vision Center, PC. For more than 40 years, she has helped thousands of children and adults improve their vision and transform their lives — at home, in the classroom and on the sports field.
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