Yoga for Breath Support for Speech 77All of these breathing activities increase the child’s awareness of
the breath, as well as facilitate learning to differentially control the
inhalation and the exhalation phases of the breathing cycle.
Breathwork for the school-age years
As mentioned in Chapter 3, children of five years of age and older
generally prefer exercises and activities with rules and challenges
rather than ones that are primarily symbolic. In addition, school-
age children understand increasingly complex and abstract
language concepts (Nippold 2007). Therefore, breathing exercises
can involve the comprehension of directions with more advanced
spatial, temporal, and descriptive terms. The following breathing
exercises, which can be performed with fading adult facilitation
to promote independence, aid the development of further control
over the respiratory system in order to enhance breath support
for speech.
- Hand cooling breath. The child purses his lips and blows
into the palm of his hand so that it feels cool and dry
(Goldberg 2013). - Hand warming breath. The child opens his mouth and
exhales into the palm of his hand so that it feels warm
and moist (Goldberg 2013). - Breath of fire. The child inhales and exhales vigorously
through the nose; as a result, the abdomen moves in and
out rapidly. - Alternate nostril breath. The child brings the right hand in
front of his face with the thumb adjacent to the right nostril
and the ring finger adjacent to the left nostril. First the
child closes the right nostril with the thumb and inhales
through the left nostril. Then the child closes the left nostril