CHAPTER 12: YogA PRACTiCE To CulTiVATE THE SElf off THE mAT • 285Associated Principles of Embodied Growth and Learning include: 1, I am worth the
effort; 2, my breath is my most powerful tool; 3, I am mindfully aware; 4, I work toward
presence in my physical body; 6, I ask questions about my physical experiences, feelings,
and thoughts; 7, I choose my focus and actions; 8, I do the work; and 12, I work toward the
possibility of effectiveness and growth in my life (see Chapter 3).
You and me and our feelings Space
The felt sense of your emotions and someone else’s emotions can be difficult to discern
in your own body. Helping students have an awareness and sense of their own feelings
and personal space and their peers’ feelings and personal space can help them with emo-
tion regulation. The simple personal space activity listed first can be done with students of
elementary school age and older. The emotional space activity, described next, is best for
middle and high school students. You will need a ruler, chalk, and chalkboard.
First, have two students come to the front of the room and stand about 10 to 12 feet
apart, facing each other (Gillen & Gillen, 2007). Guide them through a quick body scan and
ask them to pay close attention to their feelings and the sensations in their bodies. They are
not to talk and should keep a neutral face and body posture while doing this activity. Ask
Student A to begin walking slowly toward Student B (Gillen & Gillen, 2007). As Student A
nears Student B, ask Student B to raise his or her hands to show when it feels like Student
A has entered his or her personal space (Gillen & Gillen, 2007). Have the students mea-
sure the distance from Student B’s feet and the edge of his or her personal space. Note the
measurement in feet and inches on the chalkboard. Next, ask the students to switch roles
and repeat. Have all of the students do this in pairs. Calculate the average of the distances
and the range. Have the original Student A and B come up the front of the class and dem-
onstrate the range of answers and the average. Lead a discussion about how the students
knew the edge of their personal space zones and how they felt the personal space limits in
their bodies.
Now, take half of the class (the Student As) to the side and ask them to think of some-
thing that they have been mad about in the past. Ask them to let the mad feelings be pres-
ent in their bodies. Ask them to do the same activity, thinking about the mad thoughts and
with face and body neutral. Have Student As walk slowly toward Student Bs. Ask Student
Bs to indicate their personal space again; measure and post on the board. Repeat this again
asking the Students As to cultivate gratitude, thinking of something for which they feel
thankful. Ask them to take a moment to feel the sense of being thankful in their bodies.
Have Student As walk toward Student Bs and measure and post again. Calculate the aver-
ages and ranges for mad and grateful. Ask the Student Bs to explain how they felt these
each time. Were there differences in how their bodies felt? What did they notice? Reveal
to the Student Bs the emotional primes given to the Student As. Now, ask Student Bs how
they knew what Student As were feeling? Where did they have a felt sense that things were
different? In day-to-day life, how can we be more sensitive to and aware of what others
are feeling? Close the activity with a journal entry writing what they felt and what they
may have learned in the activity. Associated Principles of Embodied Growth and Learning
include: 1, I am worth the effort; 2, my breath is my most powerful tool; 3, I am mindfully
aware; 4, I work toward presence in my physical body; 6, I ask questions about my physical
experiences, feelings, and thoughts; and 7, I choose my focus and actions (see Chapter 3).