Finding a sense of calm in our day-to-day lives can feel hard when things feel a bit out of sorts, but relaxation exercises can help to calm the mind and body and help us to cope with the ups and downs we might be feeling.

There are lots of types of relaxation techniques, like breathing exercises, mindfulness exercises and physical activities like yoga you can do at home. As with lots of things, the more consistently you do them, the more helpful you’ll find them to be. Try a few out and see which ones work for you!

Breathe in, hold, breathe out
Try this popular technique called ‘box breathing’, by watching the video below.

Mindful colouring
Colouring is a relaxing and mindful activity for people of any age and has proven benefits for our wellbeing. Simply grab some pens, pencils or crayons, take some time for yourself, be present in the moment and enjoy bringing your unique scene to life. You can download and print our mindful colouring templates for both adults and tamariki below.

Mindfulness exercise
Research suggests that when we intentionally practice being mindful, we feel less stressed, anxious and depressed, and more balanced and in tune with what’s happening inside and outside of our bodies.

Try this simple mindful exercise:
Stop for a while; take 10 mindful breaths in and out, calming the body and mind, then simply rest where you are noticing everything that is going on around you.

This practice incorporates four key aspects of mindfulness training: Stopping - Calming - Resting - Noticing. Together, these four steps are innately healing.

Use an everyday environmental cue (such as the phone ringing or an email alert) as a reminder to pause and breathe for three breath cycles and take notice of the world around you.