Idea for the Animal Lovers

In just about every class I teach on Mindfulness, at least one student comments that focusing on their breath actually causes them stress. For these kids/teens we need to have additional options they can try out in order to elicit the Relaxation Response.

Because many kids are animal lovers, the simple practice of watching animals can help them to be more present and eliminate those unhealthy negative/stressful/ruminating thoughts.

For this week’s mental fitness technique, try sharing some of the links below with your students and watching them for a minute or two.

My personal favorite is the first link of the Monterey Bay Aquarium live jellyfish cam. The idea with this technique is to make the movement of the jellyfish your focus. When I first tried it, I was surprised at how easy it was to stay focused and how calm I felt as I observed the slow, rhythmic movement of the jellyfish, with the peaceful music in the background.

Hope you find these helpful!

Jellyfish Cam - Monteray Bay Aquarium, California

Open sea cam - Monteray Bay Aquarium, California

Quokka TV - Wildlife Sydney Zoo, Australia

San Diego Zoo and Safari Park cams - California

Puppy play room - Warrior Canine Connection, Maryland

Kitten cam - Kitten Rescue, California

Panda cam - Wolong National Nature Reserve, China