Exploring Mindfulness Through Breath

Breathwork is something of a secret weapon. In moments of extreme emotions it can help bring you to a place where you feel calm and at ease, it regulates your body, and helps you clear your mind. We have one of our greatest superpowers so readily available yet most of us rarely stop to take advantage of what we have. As our tiny humans are roaming through the world it can be an overwhelming time filled with many emotions. Practicing breathwork is a great way to let them know that they can always bring themselves to a safe and calm space within their own minds. 

The Exercise:

Belly breathing. Invite them to put their hands on their belly so they can feel it fill up when they breathe in and flatten when they breathe out. Take regular breaths, nothing too fast. Invite them to close their eyes and imagine the way the air moves from inside their belly to the outside. 

A good way to get them to focus is by asking them to imagine that their belly is a balloon that they are filling up and deflating. You could also have them focus on their breath and have them count every time they inhale and exhale.

As you start your breathing slowly take deeper and deeper breaths. After a minute or two of mindful breathing, you can proceed to the questions.

Questions to ask:

What did you feel when you did this exercise? 

What did you like/dislike about it?

What were some things that you thought of when you did this?

What are some situations when you could use breathing to help you?

How would you explain this to someone else?

Observations:

Write down anything that you notice about the kid’s experience. Funny moments, good insights, or just something you’d like to share with them. If you’re a caretaker then write down anything you’d like to share with the parents.

Breathing is a part of our everyday lives and this is a perfect opportunity to explain that when you mindfully pay attention to something that you do every day, it can make a significant difference. Find different ways to implement this in your home whether it’s taking a couple of seconds to take some deep breaths before asking for something or simply just normalizing a moment to take one mindful breath every so often. Finding ways to implement this in your own life will make all the difference because we all know that kids don’t do what we say, they do what we do.

Happy breathing!