Greetings!
This month's mindfulness practices align with what is happening in the natural world — rest, stillness, and moving slowly. A practice we did this week, "Cozy Spot" is a practice that encapsulates these qualities. We will continue with this sweet nature-based mindfulness practice throughout the winter. With repetition, this will be a restorative practice that your children can lean into for the rest of their lives. It's a practice that you might enjoy as well! So, by the end of the month, invite your child to lead you through this practice.
You can practice this anywhere, from your back porch to a forest. We are fortunate at DGS to have a sweet woodland spot. When choosing a "cozy spot," it needs to feel cozy, comfortable, and safe - so you can unwind without feeling on guard. With this practice, the children are invited to find a spot that looks just right. This spot might change over winter as they experiment with what spots feel cozy to them.
Cozy Spot Practice
This practice begins with a short meditative walk into our woods. Our human voices are "in our pockets" as we focus on experiencing the natural world through our senses. With younger students, we actually pretend to be animals. This week we had some unicorn kitties :)
Once in the woods, within a defined area, children are invited to look around for their “cozy spot”. The parameters around their chosen spot are that it needs to be a solo spot not next to anyone, and to stay where they land (unless it is uncomfortable).
For 5 minutes, they interacted with their spot. How they do this is up to them — they can sit and watch the natural world around them, lay down and rest, pick up leaves, let a slug crawl on their hand — whatever catches their attention in the moment. This is true mindfulness.
When complete, we gather together and share how this experience makes them feel (building awareness of nature as an ally for calm, relaxation, and enjoyment). Next, they share what they notice.
This is a simple practice but powerful for restoration on all levels.
Enjoy!