7_Mindful Breathing

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. —L. Frank Baum Mindful Breathing At Home Resources Level: Lower Elementary (K-2) Concepts: • Breathing • Focus • Mindfulness Big Ideas For This LessonMindfulness means to pay attention, so mindful breathing means to pay attention to your breath.Mindful breathing is an effective method for increasing positive emotions, focus, memory, atten-tion, and compassion; while decreasing stress and negative emotions. All that is needed for mindfulbreathing is to pause and pay attention to each moment of breath.Two simple ways to practice mindful breathing are:1) To silently repeat the words ‘in’ and ‘out’ with each in-breath and out-breath.2) To count your breaths up to 5-10 breaths and then start over at zero, repeating this for severalminutes.We practice mindful breathing so that we can learn to be calm, focused, and successful in life. Essential Vocabulary Mindful Breathing: Paying attention to your breath.© 2017 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 1 of 2 All rights reserved.

MINDFUL BREATHING | GRADES K-2 PracticePractice two minutes of mindful breathing. Sit in your mindful body (you can be seated or lying down.) Closeyour eyes and begin to breathe regularly. Let each breath into your body naturally and exhale peacefully. Letyour attention stay focused on your breath. If your mind begins to wander elsewhere, that is okay. Notice themind wandering without judgment and then simply refocus your attention back to your breath. After the twominutes, record how it felt to breathe mindfully.Optional: Set aside a specific time of day (e.g., two minutes every morning) to practice mindful breathing for aweek. You might choose to incorporate mindful breathing into your everyday routine. St udent Resources• Four Breathing Exercises for Kids to Empower, Calm and Self Regulate (Blog) by Liz Bragdon• Moody Cow Meditates (Picture Book) by Kerry Lee Mac Lean• Peaceful Piggy Meditation (Picture Book) by Kerry Lee MacLean• Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Young Children (Audio CD) by Amy Salzman• Take the Time: Mindfulness for Kids (Picture Book) by Maud Roegiers• The Relaxation and Stress Workbook for Kids: Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety and Transitions (Activity Book) by Lawrence E. Shapiro PhD Adult Resources• Free Guided Meditations (Podcast) by UCLA Health• Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness in and out of the Classroom (Book) by Meena Srinivasan• The Relaxation and Stress Workbook for Kids: Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety and Transitions (Activity Book) by Lawrence E. Shapiro PhD• The Zen of Basketball (Article) by Tovin Lapan• Three Minute Mindful Breathing Meditation (Video) by Stop, Breath and Think© 2017 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 2 of 2 All rights reserved.