Mindful Breathing

Begin by inviting students to gather in your practice place and settle into their mindful body positions. You may want to refer back to the script from the Mindful Body lesson as you support students with these routines. When you feel the group is settled into the previous practice, begin guiding them in the new exercise.

Mindful Breathing Practice

Begin by settling into your mindful body position:

Let your eyes gently close or look down
Take a few deep breaths in and out together
When you're ready, place one hand on your belly and let the other hand relax at your side or in your lap
Breath in deeply and slowly
As you breathe in and out, notice your belly rise and fall
If your attention wanders, gently bring it back to focus on your breath going in and out of your body
Spend a few quiet minutes following your breath while you relax together
Invite your students to share about their experience during this practice

**For younger children, you may want to place a stuffed toy on their belly instead of their hand so they can watch it rise and fall with the breath.**

**You also might want to name when your students are breathing in and breathing out for them. For example, guide your students to take a deep breath in as you name aloud, "breathing in". This is another helpful way to support kids as they connect with their breath. As we know, we're breathing all the time. However, we're not often putting our attention on our breath so this may feel uncomfortable and awkward for some.**

Anchor Breath

We can use our breath to anchor ourselves into the present moment and settle our nervous systems. Using relatable analogies with our students is helpful since this practice may feel uncomfortable and foreign. Before you begin, it's helpful to talk to your kids about how a boat uses an anchor. Just like a boat at sea, our own bodies feel busy and worked up sometimes. We can rely on our breath as an anchor to help ourselves settle down.

This exercise encourages kids to find a place on their bodies where they feel most connected to their breath. Here are some ideas to try with your students. Guide them slowly through each position allowing time to try out each one.

First, place one hand on your belly and feel your breath going in and out
Next, place one hand on your chest and feel your breath going in and out
After, place one hand under your nose, feel your breath on your hand as you breathe in and out through your nose

Allow time for kids to try out each position and invite them to settle on one that supports their best attention to breathing. Keep in mind that we want to guide students away from being distracted by going back and forth between anchor spots. Once they settle on their anchor spot, invite them to stay with it for their Mindful Breathing practice.

Read Aloud: Charlotte And The Quiet Place written by Deborah Sosin

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