Does your body ever feel like it’s been tied in knots? If so…. loosen up, untie, shake, flop, and relax.

Instructions

A. Untie the Knots
Untie your neck. Roll your head around. Untie your shoulders. Move them up, down, all around. Untie all your knotted muscles and joints from head to toe. Massage and stroke them after you’ve untied them. Untie until you feel nice and loose – like a goose or a moose without a noose!

B. Shake Like Jelly
Now shake like jelly. Shake all over. Go crazy. Jiggle, wiggle, and giggle. You know how.

C. Ragdoll Ann and Ragdoll Andy
Now that you’re untied and jellified, it’s time to hang out in a forward bend. Breathe in and feel your whole body lighten. Breathe out and fold yourself in half, bending from the hips. Do you feel like Ragdoll Ann or Andy? Loosen your neck and let your head and arms hang down. Soft and squishy just like Ann and Andy Ragdoll. To come up, place your hands on your tailbone and inch your fingers up your spine as you slowly straighten up.

Notes for Parents and Teachers

We know what it feels like to be tied up in knots. Children do too. Many times though, they can’t express how they feel without anger or lashing out. These poses are a great way to help them loosen up and relax. Talk about the differences between being all tied up and being loose as a goose. We all know which one feels better and produces those brain hormones, endorphins, which work like magic to help us feel gooooooood.

Activity Ideas for Home or Classroom

Awesome Anatomy
As you untie each muscle or joint, say its name. to find the names of most parts of your body.

Musical Musings
Put on some moving and grooving music. Untie. Shake. Flop and play Freeze and Flow – when the music stops, freeze. When the music starts again, flow.

We All Win
Twist a part of your body around a part of another person. Entwine arms, legs, toes or fingers and you see how twisted up you can get. Slowly, gently and peacefully untie. Hang forward. Hang out together.