How Emotional Intelligence and Physical Awareness Fuels Children's Wellness: Introducing the Move Meter!
Understanding and managing emotions are pivotal for children's emotional wellness, their enhanced social engagement, and their overall ability to develop strong emotional intelligence.
At Brain to Belly Kids Yoga (BBKY) we believe in developing holistic wellness through modern science and childhood developmental strategies paired with ancient yogic wisdom. By introducing yoga and mindfulness in a way that engages and excites children of all ages, we've adapted proven SEL methods from accredited sources and developed a body/mind method to support children on their path to an enriching and regulated experience into their adulthood.
Continue reading for a look at our innovated Move Meter and why we believe this is an incredibly aligned tool for enhanced emotional and physical intelligence!
Utilizing the graph offers an opportunity to expand emotional vocabulary while deepening curiosity and developing the understanding of specific wants and needs. For example, let's say a child is showing signals of sluggishness. By asking them to identify what color they are feeling they may say that they're blue. Continuing to utilize the Mood Meter we can become mutually curious and explorative.
What kind of blue?
Sad?
Tired?
By developing heightened specificity within our emotional responses we can gain further clarity of our emotional needs. Sad and tired sounds like our friend could potentially need a nap in order to shift their mood and arrive in a more green-driven, peaceful state.
As caregivers, we help guide them in order for them to achieve emotional awareness and autonomy.
Introducing the Move Meter: A Revolutionary Tool for Emotional and Physical Health
Inspired by Dr. Marc Brackett's Mood Meter, BBKY has innovated further to create the Move Meter. This tool maintains the color-coded cognitive approach but extends it by linking each emotional state with a corresponding yoga posture.
The Move Meter facilitates a deeper connection between emotional states and physical activities, promoting a holistic approach that integrates both the mind and the body. This process involves three steps:
Name the Emotion: Encourage the child to articulate what they are feeling.
Locate the Sensation: Help them identify where in the body they experience this emotion.
Choose the Pose: Select a yoga posture that engages that specific area, promoting both awareness and relief.
Real-world Application: Yoga as a Gateway to Emotional Intelligence
Yoga is more than physical exercise; it is a practice that enhances mindfulness and self-awareness. In adult yoga classes, the experience aims to equip the practitioner with not only physical engagement but mindful awareness as well. The mat is a space where one is encouraged to show up authentically and empowered. We have the opportunity to explore our physical body and mental connection, allowing us to develop a rich understanding of our own growth edge.
By integrating yoga with emotional learning through the Move Meter, BBKY provides a practical method for children to explore and manage their emotions actively. This method not only teaches them about their feelings but also about how these emotions can manifest physically in their bodies.
For example, a child feeling 'blue' might identify feelings of sadness in their heart or stomach. A gentle yoga pose like Child’s Pose could be suggested to help release this tension, fostering a sense of security and calmness.
The Body/Mind: Harmonious Union.
Living in a cognitively driven society, we grow further from the wisdom of our bodies and rely heavily on cognitive functioning to guide our compass. Knowledge is power but we can't forget the immense wisdom of the body.
Listening to the body is how we develop a stronger sense of self-trust. We know how to identify a gut feeling and let go of mental rumination. We avoid burnout because we're taught to listen to the physical and prioritize rest. By teaching inherent gratitude for the body as an intelligent teacher and friend, perfect just the way it is, we can help destigmatize bodies as purely external vessels reliant on external validation. We teach children how to connect to and feel safe in their body.
Ahimsa: Embracing All Emotions with Compassion
We are emotional beings and part of the deal is, well, emotions! In teaching emotional intelligence, it is crucial to approach all emotions with ahimsa, the yogic principle of non-violence and non-judgment. All emotions are teachers. This philosophy helps children understand that no emotion is inherently "bad" and that feelings like anger or sadness can teach valuable lessons about personal boundaries and needs. Anger, for example, (located in the red zone) can indicate the need for change or adjustment within ourselves or in our relationship to work or others. By honoring the wisdom of this powerful emotion we can transmute the energy and create positive change.
The Long-term Benefits of Early Emotional and Body Awareness
Fostering an early appreciation for the wisdom of the body and the spectrum of human emotions can set children up for a lifetime of better mental and physical health. By learning to listen to their bodies and trust their feelings they can navigate life's challenges with greater ease and resilience.
Brain to Belly Kids Yoga's Move Meter is more than just a tool—it is a comprehensive approach that empowers children to lead balanced, healthy lives in a complex world.