This activity combines movement with guided imagery and doesn't require any materials but can easily be taken further with visual art, music, drama or anywhere else your imagination takes you. It works well with groups and can be explored much further both within the group and individually.
You don't need a lot of space, just enough room to move around casually without obstacles to trip on. Outdoors is great if you have access to an open space. If indoors you could ask children to help push furniture out of the way to make more space to move, heavy lifting and using big muscles can use up any extra energy and help them focus as well as help them begin to be more aware of their bodies. People with mobility challenges or in confined spaces might want to drum, tap fingers, knees, or feet or nod and bob their heads to guided imagery rather than moving their whole body.
Start by inviting everyone to move around the room at their own pace, reminding them that everyone's pace will be different. Then suggest they try moving, faster, slower, at higher and lower levels, taking up more and less space, backwards, sideways, like an animal etc. and finish with everyone finding a comfortable pace and way to move. Discuss what pace feels most comfortable for everyone.
You could add some visual art here by inviting the group to draw the sensations they feel in their body when they're moving in a comfortable way. You might want to trace an outline of their body on large paper or with sideway chalk and invite them to fill in what they notice in their body when they feel comfortable. You could offer paper with a gingerbread person shape for them to fill in, collage with images that connect with what they feel in their body at their comfortable pace, draw with a stick in the dirt or use loose parts and natural materials to create land art. You could also ask for words to describe what participants notice or ask if there is a way each person would like to create in order to best reflect the sensations they felt. The purpose is to bring awareness to the sensations they feel (or don't feel) when in a calm and comfortable state.
The guided imagery story can be adapted to work with different groups. This is one I like to do with kids.
Imagine you're on your way to a theatre to see a new movie you're really excited about or an old favourite, this theatre is magic so everyone will be able to watch the movie they want.
You don't want to be late so you walk at a quick, excited pace. When you get to the theatre there's a line up to buy tickets so you need to slow down and wait but you still have lots of time before your movie starts and the line is moving at a steady pace.
Once you get your tickets you decide to get some popcorn. There is only one cashier open at the concession and a very big line up that moves very, very slowly. You take one small step and then stand for a while, one more slow shuffle forward and wait.
You realize your movie is about to start but you're next in line for popcorn so you decide to wait. There's a large group in front of you and they're having a gard time deciding which snacks they want, just when they're about to pay someone changes their mind. You only have one minute until your movie starts! Finally it's your turn, you buy your popcorn and a drink and start towards the theatre trying to move as quickly as you can without spilling popcorn or bumping into anyone in the crowd!
You finally make it to your theatre and find a seat just as the movie begins. You made it!
Discuss how moving at different paces felt during different parts of the story. Did your natural pace still feel comfortable or did you find yourself wanting to slow down or speed up depending on the situation? Where there certain times that felt very uncomfortable? Notice what sensations you felt as you waited or rushed. What might the parts of you that felt uncomfortable in that situation need in order to come back to a calm body without changing the situation?
You could add more visual art here, so that the participants have images of the sensations they notice when their body becomes stressed. You could compare this to the calm body image from earlier or just talk about what felt different.
You might want to talk about how our natural pace might feel different on different days if we're feeling tired, excited, nervous and how we can use resources such as music to help us regulate our bodies and change our pace to fit our situation.
Is there a song that energizes, relaxes or motivates you? You could experiment with different scenarios and different tempos and styles of music, notice how each feels in your body. Notice how this might be different for everyone, a song that relaxes one person might energize or annoy another. There is no right or wrong or specific song for everyone.
Emphasize that the more we pay attention to what we feel in the body, the more we can control our moods, emotions and reactions to different situations by using our resources. Bringing awareness to the resources that we each have to control the way we experience uncomfortable situations empowers us!
You might want to try walking at a comfortable pace with different types of music, does your pace change? Once participants have found some music that they notice changes what they feel in the body you might want to try the guided imagery again using a similar, rush and wait situation but this time playing music that relaxes or energizes during the parts that were most uncomfortable the first time (it will be different for each person) It might take some experimenting to find just the right piece of music to change your mood but once you find it this music will become a resource you can use over and over again, the more you use it, the more quickly your body will learn to respond to the resource.
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