6_breathing basics 3-5

To control the breathing is to control the mind. With different patterns of breathing, you can fall in love, you can hate someone, you can feel the whole spectrum of feelings just by changing your breathing. —Marina Abramovic Breathing Basics At Home Resources Level: Upper Elementary (3-5) Concepts: • Attention • Breath • Coping Skills Big Ideas For This LessonAll living things needs oxygen to breathe. Breath is a powerful tool and is integrated across neuro-logical systems in the body. We can choose to ignore the breath, observe it, or change it by bring-ing awareness to it. Paying attention to our breath can create shifts in our emotional and physicalstates.Different types of breathing have different effects on our mood. Shallow, rapid breaths in our chesttell our brain that we are stressed. Deep, slow breaths into our bellies, also known as diaphragmaticbreaths or belly breaths, tell our brains that we are calm. This lesson introduces the basic physiologyof breathing and lays the foundation for mindful breathing. Essential VocabularyBelly Breath: A deep breathing technique that causes the belly to expand while inhaling and contract while exhaling.Also known as a ‘diaphragmatic breath,’ the belly breath engages the diaphragm muscles and is associated with relax-ation.Breath Quality: The traits and characteristics associated with different types of breath. The many variations of breathquality are associated with different physical and emotional states, and include descriptors such as: deep, shallow,labored, sharp, smooth, relaxed, heavy, soft, fast, slow, light, gasping, winded, panicked, short, or long.Deep Breath: A breath that is longer, slower, and fuller than a typical breath. A purposeful alteration in breath qualitythat focuses on long, slow inhalations and exhalations. Typically results in feelings of calm and relaxation.Shallow Breath: Rapid, fast, and short breathing that does not engage the diaphragm muscle and is associated withphysical activity or stress. Shallow breathing causes the chest to rise and fall rather than the belly. Shallow breathingboth contributes to and is associated with feelings of stress, anxiety, fear and panic.© 2018 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 1 of 2 All rights reserved.

BREATHING BASICS | GRADES 3-5 PracticeSquare breathing is a fun way to practice deep breathing, and can help us to self-regulate when we feel strong emo-tions.1. Breathe in to a count of 42. Hold for a count of 43. Breathe out to a count of 44. Pause for a count of 45. Repeat for 4 roundsAs you show this technique to your youth for the first time, draw a square in the air with your finger. Begin in the lowerleft corner and model while using your finger to draw a square in the air. After you have modeled it for your youth,invite them to join you by drawing their own squares in the air.Bonus: Make a square on the floor or table with colored duct tape, paint, or look at a square shaped item, and practicesquare breathing visually as you follow the sides of your square with your breath. Student Resources • Diaphragmatic Breathing (Video) by University of Texas • Creative Ways to Practice Deep Breathing (Article) by Kim Peterson, MA LPC-S, RPT • Breathing Buddies (Video) by Daniel Goleman • A Boy and A Bear: The Children’s Relaxation Book (Learning Book) by Lori Lite • Lungs: All About Our Respiratory System (Book) by Seymour Simon • The Deep Breath Box: Square Breathing (Blog) by Kids Relaxation • Swimming Stuffies – Kids Breathing Exercises (Video) by Donna Freeman • Easy Science for Kids: Breathing System (Website) • Feel Like You’re Too Busy to Breathe? (Article) by Jill Suttie • The Respiratory System (A True Book) by Darlene R. Stille (Grades 2 – 4) • Video to demonstrate How Breathing Works Adult Resources • National Geographic: The Breath of Life (Website) • Creative Ways to Teach Deep Breathing to Kids (PDF) • The Science of Breathing (Blog Post)© 2018 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 2 of 2 All rights reserved.