A Spoken Relaxation – On your little boat by Isabel Brooks

A huge thank you to Isabel Brooks who is an ELSA and Yoga teacher. She has sent this lovely relaxation for you to try with children.

Isabel has her own Facebook Page which I urge you to follow.

Isabel has also written another blog post on the site and you can read it here: Isabel Brooks Yoga

Now onto the spoken relaxation

This is one of many I have created, during my school ELSA Mindfulness Class relaxations and in yoga classes out of school mostly they’re committed to memory!

However it was so enjoyed by a group of year 4 children that they asked me to write it down and let them take it home.

At the end of your mindfulness session, and breathing practice, all should be lying down or seated comfortably, depending on how much space you have. With palms open to the sides, as in the yoga asana savasana (corpse pose).  Make sure that children are not able to touch or irritate each other (!)

Maybe have some gentle instrumental music, there is so much to choose from on, and many have a sea or waves theme. Keep your voice slow, gentle and low.  Pause for affect, as there is a lot of imagery.

The little white boat…

You are lying on the floor of a little white boat.  With a very blue sky above you, and the gentle sea below.

There is a big soft fluffy towel underneath your body and if you turn your head slowly you can feel how warm and soft it is.  Nothing is digging into your back; the soft towel is keeping you safe.  You can feel the small waves lapping on the side of the little boat and the rise and fall of the sea.

There is a rope tied to the front of the boat which leads to a harbour wall far off so your boat will not be drifting away. On the wall your family are getting a picnic ready.  You can hear their voices and laughing carried by the sea, far off in the distance. You are not asleep but your eyes are closed.

Wiggle your toes….

they are feeling soft and warm and the feeling spreads up your legs to your knees, your legs are feeling heavy and relaxed.  Your back is cosy and your shoulders are relaxed down, with your neck feeling long, your throat is relaxed.  Your chin lifts a little bit to face the sky.  The warm feeling travels up past your ears to the top of your head and all the little follicles of hair feel soft and warm. The softness spreads over to your forehead and eyebrows and your face feels smooth. There are no frowns.

The warmth spreads across both shoulders, and down to your tummy. Here it feels sparkly and white. You can imagine a sparkler which is all your happy energy.  The sparkles send their sparks around and up to your chest, and over to each arm. You can feel the white light travelling down one arm, any arm will do, and as it does so, it warms you and makes your arms fee heavy and relaxed.  When it reaches your fingers of both hands you feel the sparkles leaving your body through your finger tips which now feel soft and warm.

In your little boat….

you can feel the gentle rocking from the small waves, but the water is calm like you are and almost flat.  Above you in the blue sky there is a white bird, it is wing are still as it floats on the warm air, it soars higher and you see its wide wing span, and its orange beak. It is joined by another sea gull and the two of them swoop and dive as they playfully look across the sea for fish. They are getting close to you but you feel very safe. There is one small cloud.  If you have any thoughts that are creeping into your mind let them be carried away by the small cloud, as the breeze drifts over your face

The sea underneath you is very deep.   But it is so blue and clear that you can see under the boat. Many tiny and bright coloured fish dart around under the boat. If you look deeper you will see the sand at the sea bed. There is a small octopus, it moves slowly across the sand. You see each leg as it uncurls from its body and reaches across the pretty pebbles, and moves.  Wait while we count each of its eight legs uncurling and reaching as it slowly stretches. Its has moved out of sight behind a rock.

Suddenly you feel a gentle tug on the boat….

You know that the boat is now being pulled across the water to the wall.  Keep your eyes closed and enjoy the last moments in your own little white boat.

You hear the swishing sound of it being pulled across the calm sea. It rocks gently.

The voices of your family are clear now and you start to feel hungry.

There is a small thump! Your boat has reached the wall and the stone steps.  You open your eyes very slowly and stretch you arms and legs gently.  Snuggle over to the right slide and give your knees a hug.

You sit up, take a big breath of sea air and smile!

You are ready to climb up and to eat your favourite picnic food!

Isabel Brooks

February 2017

You can download a PDF copy of this script by clicking this link :

 A spoken relaxation