Today in our Mindful Minis class we looked at the second colour of the rainbow – indigo. We thought about things in nature that are the colour indigo – some precious stones, deep parts of the ocean, some berries and certain birds. I reminded the children of the beautiful indigo colour of a peacock’s neck.
We learnt that indigo is a very calming and relaxing colour. I suggested that the children who struggle to fall asleep at night, imagine indigo light filling their bodies and surrounding them. We can help our bodies and minds to relax by imagining ourselves breathing in indigo light and then imagining it travelling down to our toes and the tips of our fingers. This can work for moms and dads too!
We discussed the fact that indigo represents our eyes and forehead, and that it is associated with intuition. One little girl explained intuition so beautifully: “It’s the voice in your head that tells you the right thing to do!”
One of the highlights of the class was the “What’s inside the treasure chest?” game. I had a treasure chest filled with a hidden treasure and asked the children to pay attention to how they felt not knowing what was inside the treasure chest. The answers varied from curiosity and excitement to frustration and impatience and even concern and anxiety. I explained to the children that it didn’t matter what they felt. It was just important for them to notice how they felt. We then discussed where in their bodies they could feel the feelings. Most felt them in their tummies, but some felt the feelings in their chests and throats.
As I opened the treasure chest to reveal the hidden treasure, I encourage them to breathe and notice all their feelings. There was much excitement and then the chest was open! I gave them a few moments and then asked them to describe what they felt at seeing the treasure. Some felt happy. Some felt relieved that it wasn’t something scary. Some felt disappointed and sad that there were no chocolate coins! Again, I explained that it didn’t matter how they felt but that it was wonderful that they were able to pay attention to what they felt and where in their bodies they were feeling it.
We did some calming breathing exercises, listened to a lovely guided visualisation about a rainbow and said our confidence-building Mindful Minis Mantra. The class ended with some time for artwork using different mediums – all the colour indigo. The children really got into it and there were some fantastic pictures produced to end off another great class!