The Power of breath

“By balancing your breathing, you can control your emotions and calm your mind.  From the quiet mind arises the wisdom and insight that help you make good choices.” 
Ilchi Lee

Mental Health
According to the most recent Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2000): 3 million people suffer from anxiety in the UK.  I am one of these people. My own personal yoga and mindfulness practise helps me to keep symptoms in control and breathing exercises play such a large part of this.  I feel so thankful that I am in a position to share this simple technique not only with children in my own classes, but also with parents and teachers; so that they can benefit from it and share it too.

When we teach children the skills of how to control their breath, we are giving them a gift: a skill that they can use throughout their life to help them control their emotions and regulate their bodies in a healthy way.

Benefits of Breathing Exercises
There are so many benefits to breathing exercises, here are just a few:

• By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, muscles are relaxed.
• Improved oxygen delivery results in a rise in energy levels and greater focus.
• Breathing deeply releases endorphins, inducing a feeling of calm.
• When inhaling and exhaling deeply, the body releases toxins.
• It is FUN!
  

So, you see, it really is a fantastic all round activity to be doing!   Magically, the more frequently children practise breathing exercises; the more awareness and understanding they have on how breathing in different ways affect their bodies and emotions differently.  Children will say things such as “I feel really focused now and ready to learn!” or “That makes me feel relaxed!” How wonderful!
In getting children to connect with their breath; we are also giving them an insight into how they can control their physical body and their mental attitude. As they grow and mature, they will use these skills in their everyday life: indeed, I regularly get told anecdotes from parents of how a child has used a breathing exercise or even created their own.  They love it!

Using Breath in the Classroom
As an experienced class teacher, I understand how hard transitions can be in schools. Many children struggle to move from a high energy task to a more focused lower energy activity.  This is one of the ways in which breathing techniques can be so powerful.  This is a really gentle form of behaviour management, which both reduces conflict and helps restore calm within the pupils and teacher. Win - win!

Take a Breath
So now you know some of the wonderful benefits of breathing exercises, why not treat yourself and take a few long, deep, luxurious breaths… How does that feel?

 Thanks for reading!

Julia