Building on Tuesday

"Build Space" for others when something not-so-great happens . . .

https://youtu.be/LiZQcPp_QwQ

Here are some animals you can pretend to be from Cori Doerrfeld's The Rabbit Listened:

The chicken wants to talk, talk, talk about it.  There is a time for talking, but if someone's not ready to share, it's not the time for talking.

To be a chicken with your body, squat down, perching on toes or flattened feet.  Thumbs to armpits to flap your chicken wings!  Keep your body tall, shoulders over hips to practice your posture, creating good space for breathing.

The bear is angry and wants to SHOUT about it! It's okay to be angry but (1) nobody gets hurt and (2) nothing gets broken when you are.

To be a bear with your body, fold your body over your knees, hiding your bear nose behind your paws.  Keep the knees wide, so you have lots of space for your bear's big belly.  The science behind folding your body is that you naturally soothe and calm your ramped up nervous system.

The elephant wants to fix it. You can't fix a problem for someone else . . . 

Folding the body halfway, take one fist to your forehead and thread the other through the space created, stretching it long for an elephant's trunk.  Rock gently back and forth, shaking your trunk side to side.  Work the stretch with arms in opposite position.  TRUMP DA!

The ostrich wants to hide.  But when something not-so-great happens, out-of-sight is not necessarily out-of-mind.
Balancing on one leg provides opportunity to strengthen your focus and concentration skills.  Ostriches are the biggest birds! Balance on one strong ostrich leg and then the other.

Snake is sneaky and encourages hurting someone else when you are hurting . . . BONK! When we feel unpleasant feelings, and it's okay to feel unpleasant feelings, (1) nobody gets hurt (2) nothing gets broken
To be a snake with your body, lie down on your slithery belly and lift your chest.  Hands and elbows are close the body because snakes do not have hands or elbows!  The work is in your back, not your arms. Bending the back may dust the clouds off your heart.

The rabbit listened.
Yay for the rabbit.  Be the rabbit.
From a kneeling position, lower the crown on the head to the ground.  Clasp hands behind you.  With long arms, stretch the rabbit's ears to the sky.  When pretending to be a rabbit, stretch your spine, calm your mind, and relieve tension around the neck.