imagination vacation

by: Ayva Sunshine, your resident counselor on crutches
This morning during the first of our village fair rotations, Heroes Magical Journey, about 10 of the children had the chance to go on an Imagination Vacation. I also had the chance to join some of my own campers on this peaceful journey. The class starts with some simple yoga, just something to stretch out and get the peace flowing. After a bit of student-led goofy yoga poses, like flying magic unicorn,  we chose a spot on the floor to start our journey. This is a journey into our minds to find our most peaceful place. A place you can go to when you are feeling stressed or need a break, you can remember this place. The meditation starts with some simple instruction to relax, to breathe deep and open up your mind. The leader will ask you to imagine a path, this path will lead you to a door, it can be made of whatever you want, glass, wood, crystal... you reach this door and are  invited to open it. Inside you see your happy place, your peaceful escape. A world of anything and everything that makes you happy. You are invited to explore this place, to listen to the sounds, to feel the ground under you and to smell the smells. You spend some time here and then are asked to start saying goodbye to your place. In my world, I had to say goodbye to my new animal friends as I stepped back through the door, onto the path. You are guided back along your path, and are asked to start waking up. Stretch out, open your eyes. After you have woken up, you have the opportunity to draw or write about  your place, to help you remember your peace. Once you draw, the campers circle back up and share their experiences. It was amazing to see and hear the ideas and imaginations of the kids and even myself.