Play Built Resilience
IA believes that the right combination of storytelling/improv, free play, athletic skill development, and breathwork are the keys to teaching any young person how to self-regulate. Each of these pillars are evidence based and when combined together, create a new play experience designed to improve performance and combat anxiety.
Storytelling
Stories help to make the abstract concrete. Stories about resilience serve as the spine of our practice sessions with breathwork and game play integrated into the plot lines. We also give space for kids to share their own stories.
Free Play
Children in a playful state are vastly more creative and open to deep learning and exploration. Our sessions are child led, meaning the kids, not instructors, determine the action.
Athletic Skill Development
Through game play, IA focuses on improving passing ability, catching, changing speed and direction and balance. These are cross functional skills applicable across the sport landscape.
Breathwork & Meditation
IA teaches children how to manipulate their breath and body to calm their minds. By introducing meditation and mindfulness at an early age, we hope to equip children with effective coping skills to handle stressors as they grow.
Resilience needs to be experienced.
Mental Skills taught:
Breathing
Box breath, anchor breath, finger trace breath, 4-7-8 breath, and confidence charge breath. Slowing down your breath influences the body’s automatic nervous signaling (by activating the parasympathetic nervous system) to put the brakes on the “fight-or-flight” stress response. This has an impact on the brain because while under stress, the critical and complex thinking areas (prefrontal cortex) ‘shut down’, and what is commonly known as the ‘reptile brain’ (the amygdala), driving basic emotional responses, takes over. Using breathing techniques helps individuals regain control over their physiological stress response, and shift to a state of calm and relaxation. This enables elite athletes and the everyday kid to perform better under pressure, think clearly and make better decisions in challenging situations. Using age-appropriate metaphors, we help children understand how stress impacts their mind and body, and why it is difficult to think clearly under stress. Through experience of this skill, we build self-awareness, a cornerstone for practicing these coping tools.
Visualization
creating a detailed, multi-sensory experience of successful athletic performance and effective coping strategies. We employ both internal and external perspective visualization to help students mentally rehearse their actions and reactions in a game setting. By imagining both successful plays and potential mistakes, students are equipped not only to aspire but also to adapt, ensuring that they can maintain a positive mindset and swift recovery in the face of challenges. This prepares them for real-world scenarios, thereby building mental resilience and enhancing self-regulation skills.
Self-Talk and Internal Dialogue
Rooted in principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, this technique teaches students to actively challenge and reframe negative thoughts by using facts and reason, particularly during high-pressure moments. With an alarming 66% to 75% of our 70,000 daily thoughts tending to be negative, our approach is not just to raise awareness of this cognitive pattern but also to offer a practical tool—breathwork—to mitigate it.
By linking Positive Self-Talk with intentional breathing, students learn to silence the persistent negative chatter in their minds. This dual strategy empowers them to navigate life's challenges more effectively and fosters better mental resilience and self-regulation. Through this, we aim to transform the default mental landscape for young people, steering them away from the 'mental rain' of negativity to a more balanced and positive inner dialogue.
Pillars of Play
I.
Self Regulate
Manipulating breath and body to calm the mind. Using the breath as a remote control to manage thoughts feelings and emotions.
II.
Kid Led
Instructors act as lifeguards allowing youth to lead the play experience. The autonomy and agency instills self confidence.
III.
Tell Stories
We integrate play and breath into plot lines of stories we teach. “All the data in the world won’t change one single mind …but a good story can.”
IV.
Tie Back
Child learns from their experiences and how to cope with ambiguity and change. Child develops a critical awareness.