Mindfulness of the Breath: The power of breathing
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be guiding you through the current Stix mindfulness programme. Our four categories of activities teach the basics of mindfulness, with each section covering a fundamental skill to help introduce wellbeing techniques to children. The Stix remotes use audio, lights, and vibrations to bring mindfulness activities to life, making it tangible and enjoyable for young minds.
The programme:
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Mindfulness of the breath
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Mindfulness of the heart
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Mindfulness of the body
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Mindfulness of thoughts and feelings
This week we’ll be looking at a crucial element of mindfulness, breath.
Mindfulness of the Breath explained
Mindfulness of the breath is a foundational practice in Buddhist meditation and a crucial element of modern mindfulness stress reduction programmes. It involves focusing attention on the natural rhythm of the breath, observing each inhalation and exhalation.
Research shows that different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing, and so focussing on how we breathe can change how we feel. If you feel anxious or angry, for instance, breathing will be irregular, short, fast, and shallow. This can restrict airflow in the body and can lead to uncomfortable sensations such as a racing heart. By practicing mindful breathing and controlling your breath, you’ll slow down and begin to feel relaxed, calm, and content.
How does this work? Mindful breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your body’s ‘rest and digest’ system. When this system is activated, your heartrate and blood pressure lower to conserve energy for bodily processes such as digestion. This in turn reduces anxiety and improves your ability to think rationally.
Setting aside a few minutes a day for mindful breathing can make a huge difference to your day-to-day life. It is useful to build a routine around mindful breathing and throughout time your consistency will lead to improved skills that can be used when you need them in a stressful or overwhelming situation. For example, it was revealed that England’s footballers had experts teaching them breathing techniques to cope with the stress and pressure of playing in big football matches.
Breathing activities with The Stix Remotes
Typical mindfulness of the breath exercises have the potential to be repetitive and mundane for children, therefore it is important for us to increase the enjoyability of these mindful techniques. Our activities are designed to make mindfulness engaging for children, which then encourages them to continue to practice the skills learnt. Here are the activities involved in our mindfulness of breath section and samples of instructions:
1. Balloon Arms
"Imagine your body is a balloon, that expands as you breathe in and deflates as you breathe out."
"Imagine you’re a balloon floating through the air… How did it feel?"
Throughout this activity children will learn to breathe by visualising their body as a balloon. During this activity, breathing is combined with movement, whilst children lift their arms up and down, they are told to breathe in and out. The instructor’s voice is paired with sounds of a balloon inflating and deflating.
2. Belly Breathing
"Gently rest the Stix on your belly and look at the lights on the remote
Remember to use the light as a guide for your breath"
"You can practice belly breathing wherever you are… If you ever feel worried take 10 breaths in and out until you feel relaxed"
Next in the Mindfulness of Breath category, this activity progresses the concept from “Balloon Arms” into a non-movement-based activity, during which children visualise their stomachs as the inflating balloon. Helping entrench a simple and easily understandable technique that they can use in class or at home, children breathe along with the slow pulsating lights from the Stix.
Thinking about their belly rising and falling means that they have something to focus on whilst they breathe in and out. By engaging the diaphragm whilst breathing, the body’s relaxation response is activated, calming the nervous system, and reducing stress. Deep belly breathing also allows more oxygen to enter the lungs, improving circulation and boosting overall well-being.
3. Breathing with the Sea
"Listen to the soothing sounds of the waves… Lie down flat on the floor"
"Waves are similar to the breath, they move in and out from the sandy beach…when you hear them moving back into the sea breath out"
"How did it feel to connect your breath to the sound of the waves?"
In this activity, children listen to sounds of the waves from the seashore, being played through the remotes’ speakers, breathing in and out in time with the waves. Children will learn about timing each breath to help slow down and refocus. The activity also builds the connection between nature and mindfulness. Immersing oneself in the natural environment helps promote a present connection with the world, relaxation, clarity, and a sense of peace. The instructor also encourages contemplation on how the breathing activity has made the user feel.
Join us next week as we explore Mindfulness of the body, the next key element of mindfulness in the Stix programme!