BELLY BREATH
THIS IS A GOOD ONE FOR TODDLERS
AND ALL OLDER AGE GROUPS.
HOW TO TEACH: The best way to show
how to breathe properly is to learn to breathe
properly yourself. Do the exercises yourself
and the children will copy.
Sit down crossed leg (they will find this easier
to do than you). Sit up, lifting from the base
of your spine (not by lifting your shoulders).
If you or they are unable to sit up straight, sit
against a wall. Make sure your shoulders are
pushed down, away from your jaw. Elongate
the neck and the spine. Close the mouth
and keep the chin up. Keep the gaze into the
distance, and ideally close your eyes and tell
your child to do the same. When nursery and
reception level children learn to sit up straight
lifting from the base of the spine, this will stick
in later life regardless of how bad the back
support is on the chairs (be it at nursery,
school or office).
Place your left hand on your belly and
then place your right hand on top of your
left hand. Tell the child to push their belly
out as they breathe in, and push their belly
in as they breathe out.
BELLY BUTTON BREATH
IDEAL FOR: toddlers to teenagers. A
variation on the belly breath, bringing
attention to the belly as well as the
importance of keeping the chin up and back
straight. Good for posture.
HOW TO TEACH: this pose may be
practiced seated or standing, but ideally
standing. Feet hip-width apart, chin up,
shoulders back, back straight, lifting from
the base of the spine. Relax the shoulders,
elongate the neck. Place the left thumb into
the belly button and the middle finger of
the right hand just above and in between
the eyebrows. Close your eyes. Take a deep
breath in and a deep breath out. Repeat
six times. And change left and right hand,
placing the right thumb into the belly button
and the middle finger of the left hand just
above and in between the eyebrows.
LION’S BREATH
IDEAL FOR: This is a breathing exercise all
children love regardless of age, however
they become increasingly self-conscious in
their teens so are resistant to doing it. This
is a pity, as it relieves tension around the
neck, shoulders and jaw, where teenagers
increasingly store a lot of unexpressed anger
(believe it or not!) Teenagers enjoy and value
yoga but they become more self conscious
and judgemental about their body, rather
than merely observational about it.HOW TO TEACH: Sit on the floor, cross
legged. Elongate the spine and the neck,
lifting from the base of the spine. Take
a deep breath in through the nose and
opening the mouth, stick the tongue out as
far as it will go keeping the back straight.
The only sound you should hear is the
sound of a ‘silent roar’ (hence lion’s breath).
Lion’s breath is good for releasing tension
around the jaw, shoulders and neck, as
well as relieving anxiety, anger issues and
impatience (parents and teachers should
practice this in the car!).BELLOWS BREATH
IDEAL FOR: this is good for all age groups.
Teenagers feel less self conscious about this
than Lion’s Breath. Good for energising and
circulation.
HOW TO TEACH: Stand up, feet hip-width
apart, shoulders back, chin up, arms out to
the side. Relax the shoulders, palms facing
forward, elongate the neck, tilt the pelvis
slightly forward and soften the knees. Take
a deep breath in and as you breathe out
blow with the mouth open as you bring
the arms together parallel to each other.
Do not clap the hands but keep the arms
shoulder-width apart. Repeat 30 times
bringing the arms back to the sides, keeping
the shoulders relaxed. The movement should
be quite vigorous but keep the breath long,
strong and even.ALTERNATE NOSTRIL
BREATHING
IDEAL FOR: from eight years on and
throughout teenage years; they are able to
place fingers on their third eye in the middle
of the forehead which younger children may
find challenging. Use an essential oil such as
lavender, geranium, frankincense or orange
oil to help with the process of breathing.
This will encourage them to bring attention
to the breath.
HOW TO TEACH: Sit on the floor legs
crossed or resting on the heels, whichever
is more comfortable. Lift from the base
of the spine, relax the shoulders, chin up,
elongating the neck. Place the middle two
fingers on the forehead, on the third eye
just above the eyebrows, and place the little
finger onto the left nostril and the thumb
onto the right nostril. Lift the finger from
the left nostril and take a deep breath in.
Place the finger on the left nostril and take
the thumb off the right nostril. Take a deep
breath out. Take a deep breath in, keepingthe little finger on the left nostril and the
thumb off the right nostril. Keep the mouth
closed. Place the thumb back on the right
nostril and take the little finger off the left
nostril, and take a deep breath out. Once
more take a deep breath in, keeping the little
finger off the left nostril, the thumb pressed
into the right nostril. And then place the little
finger onto the left nostril and the thumb
off the right nostril as you breathe out. And
repeat six times on each side. It will become
easier the more you practice this breathing
exercise, but it is very effective in developing
the attention to the breath and slowing the
breath down.HEAVEN TO EARTH
BREATHING
IDEAL FOR: all children, from toddlers
through to teenagers all enjoy this breathing
exercise. Not strictly a breathing exercise,
it is part of Energy Medicine (check out
Energy Medicine by Donna Eden and David
Feinstein, Penguin), whereby you move
energy about your body in order to improve
the energy within your body.
HOW TO TEACH: Stand with feet hip-width
apart. Keep the knees soft and tilt the pelvis
slightly forward. Bring your arms up in the
air and as though you are pulling down on
ropes down to the earth, reach your arms
up into the air and pull down to the ground
making a ‘shwoosh’ sound from your mouth
as you do so. Repeat nine times. Make sure
to remind the children to breathe. They will
probably want to do this more than nine
times, but nine is fine.Further breathing exercises are to be found
in Sarah Tucker’s new books The Book of
Brilliant Breathing, The Book of Excellent
Energy and The Book of Self, (a collection of
stories and poems to read to children before
they go to bed (close your eyes stories) out
now in all good book shops and Amazon.om family