Hello Parents and Educators; welcome back!

Even though summer is almost over, we still have the rest of August, meaning there’s still time for that family road trip!

Being on the road with friends and family is a time of joy, excitement, and adventure. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the fun, or bogged down by the stress of logistics, that we fail to become mindful of ourselves, our surroundings, and our fellow adventurers.

And though you may not have yoga mats for the typical yoga and meditation, you can practice mindfulness anywhere.

Here’s some Mindful ways to connect with your body, mind, family, and friends on the go!

Box Breathing

Box Breathing is a simple but powerful deep-breathing technique that lowers stress and relaxes the mind.

This practice distracts your mind as you focus on counting and calms your nervous system, returning your breathing pattern to a relaxed rhythm.

Give it a try!

Breathe using counts of four (1, 2, 3, 4), visualizing a square box.

Breathe in. Slowly count to four as you trace your finger across the top edge of the square from left to right.
Hold that breath in. Count to four as you trace down the right side of the box.
Breathe out. Count to four and trace the box from right to left on the bottom edge.
Hold with no breath. Count to four and trace the left side of the box, from the bottom corner to the top.
Repeat three or four times until you feel centered.

Three cycles of Box Breathing only take about thirty seconds, but can make a huge difference in your ability to relax, think, listen, or be patient.

We are working on our video of ‘Box Breathing,’ but in the meantime, kids can try out a similar thirty-second yogic breathing exercise, Dragon Breath.

Discover More kid-friendly Breathing techniques in our resources!

Entering New Spaces

We’re always excited to share new resources that we are inspired by! This exercise comes from a book filled with simple mindfulness practices that can be used as you go about your normal routines.

Introduced in “How To Train A Wild Elephant & Other Adventures In Mindfulness” by Jan Chozen Bays, the ‘Entering New Spaces’ chapter discusses being mindful and staying present whenever entering a ‘new’ area.

“As we walk toward a door, our mind moves ahead to the future, toward what we will be encountering and doing on the other side. This mind movement is not obvious. It takes careful watching. It makes us go unconscious, just briefly, of what we are doing in the present. The unconscious or semiconscious mind, however, is able to steer us through the movements of opening the door and making our way safely through.”

By bringing awareness to any transition between spaces, this mindfulness practice enhances our understanding of how each space impacts us (no matter how small the change is) and grounds us in our current actions.

So, if you plan on visiting some not-so-favorite cousins during the trip, this practice can help with centering and emotional regulation before you walk through that proverbial (or actual) door.

Try This Practice:

Before you enter your car, take a brief pause.

Focus on how your hand grips and pulls the car handle.

Listen to the sounds coming from outside or the area you are leaving and notice all, if any, sounds coming from your car.

Take a breath, step into the car, sit down, and close the door.

Note any changes in the environment. The difference in perspective, smell, and temperature. The cushion of the car seat beneath you.

How do you feel?

Rose, Bud, & Thorn

A great reflecting activity, “Rose, Bud & Thorn” is a method to celebrate the positive moments in life, build anticipation and excitement for the future, to understand and acknowledge the challenges you face. Use this activity to reflect on your day, week, month, or even the whole year!

On the road, this can be a great way to stay excited and address any concerns about the journey ahead while in-between destinations.

“My rose is… My bud is… My thorn is..”

Try this quick Check-in:

Taking turns, each person will…

Say something positive that happened to you today— the rose.
Speak about something you are looking forward today— the bud.
State a challenge you faced or something you will face that is bothering you today — the thorn.

After everyone shares, you can talk about the experiences they’ve mentioned or the activity. Notice any difference in energy levels, thoughts and mood before and after sharing.

Learn how to use this in the classroom

Yo Re Mi Sing-Alongs and Seated Practices

We have many songs and mindfulness seated activities on our YouTube channel and The Yo Re Mi App that your kids can follow and sing along to as you focus on driving, navigating, and everything else.

Here are some that we have in mind!

Similar to box breathing, “I Am Calm Now” utilizes deep breathing for relaxation and presses this mantra into our mind and bodies via finger tapping. Perfect for wherever and whenever, especially during transitions or highly anticipated activities!

Try This: “I Am Calm Now”

Practice mindfulness by thinking about your loved ones! Spread love and positivity from your heart to theirs in this seated seven-minute activity.

Appreciate loved ones in your life with “Loving Kindness”

Keep healthy habits on the road with fun and memorable, catchy songs!

Practice Good Hygiene with “Wash Your Hands”

Remember to take care of the people around you as you travel. Compassion means caring when someone is in need - considering what you can do to help, and taking action! We can always work harder to take care of the people (and places!) we visit.

Celebrate compassion with the “Compassion Song!”

Sing Along for hours with the yo re mi sing along playlist on our app!

Screen Break: Eye Palming

With hours on the road, retreating into our own minds and digital world can provide a sense of familiarity while away from home and in foreign places. But it’s necessary to take screen breaks and rest our eyes!

This post already has some great screen break activities, but the most direct one is “Eye Palming.”

Rest your eyes with some Eye yoga

Want More seated Activities? Check out seated activity series on our app!

Word Games

Though this is not purely mindful, word games can become entertaining fun by building vocabulary, speaking and listening skills, and learning more about each other’s thoughts and ideas! Here are a few:

“Elephant, Telephone” - Use your creativity, vocabulary, and listening skills as each player answers with a word that’s first letter starts with the last letter of the previous word.
Example: “Panini”, “Island”, “Dinosaur”, “Ray”
Word Association - Test your memory and imagination as one player starts with one word, the next replies with a word that is connected to that word, and so on.
For added competition, you can’t repeat words, and if a player can’t come up with a word before five seconds are up, they are out!
Example: “Yo”, “Re”, “Mi”, “Yoga”, “Music”, “Mindfulness”
Rhyme Time - The same rules as word association, but the words should rhyme.
Example: “Ate”, ”Fate”, “Rate”, “Bate”, “Gate”

Try any of these mindfulness activities on your next trip, next walk, or next classroom activity!

Want to stock up on Yo Re Mi videos for the trip? Want to see time-specific options? Check out our ‘Choose By Time’ category in the Yo Re Mi app!

Download the Yo Re Mi App