Back to School Practices Week 4

So far this month we’ve talked about boosting our kids’ immune systems, helping our kids sleep well during the night and increase their ability to focus and concentrate during the day, and some simple tips and strategies for handling the everyday pressures of life. As we wrap up our ‘Back to School’ series, let’s talk about encouraging and teaching good communication on three levels: with parents, with teachers, and with peers.

Interestingly, lavender is the oil of communication! Its chemical properties support individuals in having the courage and clarity to communicate what they are really thinking. Simply apply a drop on the front of the throat and rub in. Important note: For people with ADHD, lavender can sometimes create a more frenzied feeling as opposed to a peaceful & thoughtful state. If this is the case for your child, consider using Bergamot essential oil instead.

To help children communicate well with three major groups of individuals in their lives, it’s always good to help them start by identifying what it is they want. This involves pre-teaching, and can be a fun and bonding experience for parent and child. Remember to keep this conversation short (as most kids don’t really want a lecture), and to ask your child what kind of experience they are hoping for with their teachers, friends, and you – their parents. Help them write down a few key goals on paper so they can see and remember their intentions.

Conversations like this can flow wonderfully if you do partner yoga with your child while talking! Since they are focusing on creating physical movements with their body, they will more easily be able to access the real desires they keep stored in their subconscious mind – and they’ll be able to share these with you. Take a look at a few of the poses we recommended last week and choose to be more intentional with your child to help them plan and visualize what they want to do.

The second tip is: Instead of telling your child how they can accomplish their goals, ask them how they are going to go about accomplishing them. Gently probing your child to think through how they can best approach a situation, especially as you give them hypothetical situations to consider, can be a powerful teaching opportunity as well as teach your child that they are capable!

The third tip is: Have fun, and don’t feel like you have to do everything in one sitting. Let your child explore an idea or topic, and then let them move on to something they are interested in bringing up. The point is, as you are intentional in your teaching, and as you gently guide your child through questions and comments such as, “Have you considered….,” or “What do you think about…..,” your child will feel empowered and important.

Best of all, you are laying the foundation for habits of communication between you and your children, so that when a really difficult situation arises, you have a foundation of trust so your child can approach you to continue the brainstorming session when they need you most.

Learn more about how to apply the powerful synergy of yoga and essential oils to everyday life by joining our yoga sangha, only $99 for a full 2-week online course. If you are a teacher and would like to learn how to bring essential oils into your practice, take our teacher sangha for $150 which includes 10 CE credits from Yoga Alliance. Note that for both courses, the price includes our book, Essential Yoga Practice (which is used as a ‘manual’ for the course), and the DVD so you can easily follow the 6 original yoga sequences at home.