relaxation

5	THE WHOLE BODY

Savasana

This exercise is a shorter version of the four previous ones. Its aim is to perfect the gestures required for each body meditation session. Touch relaxation brings a feeling of well-being, calm, and concentration to the child. It diminishes mental and muscular stress and improves the quality of self-awareness and self-confidence.

1. Start with your child’s head. With your finger, move around the face, touching the eyes, the nose, the mouth, and the ears. Explain the function of each and remind the child that they have to rest. The face has looked, listened, and talked all day and now needs to relax.

2. The trip continues onto the torso, the shoulders, the arms, the hands, and the fingers. All these parts have been moving and now deserve some rest. All day, the upper body has been breathing, moving, and digesting. Time to rest and relax!

3. Move up the arms, torso, and stomach, ending up on the hips. Describe the vital functions of the heart. Then, from the hips, move down the thighs, the knees, the feet, and the toes. The lower half of the body is essentially dedicated to movement; its muscles have been taxed and now need to relax. Explain to your child the effort their body expends every day and insist on the importance of resting.

4. Turn the child on their stomach and let your finger travel along the back. Underline the essential function of the spine, then that of the buttocks, the legs, and finally the feet. They all participate in the child’s movements. The back and buttocks—which we often forget about—also have to relax: they allow us to remain upright. The trip ends with the essential role of the feet and heels that support the weight of the whole body.

5. This meditative voyage has ended. The child is now full of energy after a well-deserved rest.