A simple but effective breathing technique suitable for children to ease moments of anxiety and stress
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousBreathing is a powerful tool that we always have at our disposal to overcome even the most difficult moments. The technique we are talking about is not only very simple but also perfect to practice with children. It will help them cope better with anxiety or stressful situations.
The moment we are living in is not easy for anyone, least of all for the little ones. We can then help them by offering them simple relaxation activities.
It suggests an effective breathing technique Monia Monti, pedagogue and expert in meditation and mindfulness, whose techniques and activities also offers children with excellent results. On these issues you have also published a book: “Calm and happy children. Meditation techniques for children and adults to manage anxiety and stress ".
Dr. Monti reminds us of something fundamental that we often forget or underestimate:
“Breath is a very powerful tool capable of acting and modifying our emotional states. For example, when we are very agitated or we are afraid our breathing tends to be fast, short, labored and superficial (i.e. we tend to practice a so-called thoracic or even clavicular breathing), on the contrary when we are calm and quiet our breathing is decidedly more slow and deep. So if on the one hand an emotion such as anger or anxiety can alter our breathing pattern making it fast and short at the same time through breathing we can change an emotion and return to a state of calm and tranquility".
We just have to work, first of all, on the breath.
The breath that calms
You can practice this breathing technique while sitting, lying on a carpet, on the bed, on a beautiful lawn or on the beach (during the summer) or standing up if we are unable to lie down or sit.
Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. Let the air in through your nose and slowly let it out of your mouth, repeat it a few times. While inhaling you can pay attention to the fact that the air is cool while when you let the air out of the mouth it is warm (you can put a hand in front of the mouth at a distance of about 5 centimeters to feel the heat of the air coming out).
Continue taking a few more slow and deep breaths, while inhaling you try to let the air go down inside the belly which inflates like a balloon (you can ask the child or adult to put a hand on their belly and observe what happens) and when the air is thrown out, the belly deflates. Repeat for a few times.
A nice variant that will surely be appreciated by children can be that of build a paper boat place it on your stomach (obviously you need to be stretched out) which becomes the sea. While you inhale the boat rises thanks to a wave of the sea and when you inhale the boat goes down.
When to do this meditation:
Since it helps to relax, to find a deep calm, to release tensions, fears, worries and allows you to better manage thoughts and emotions, it can be practiced at any time of the day especially when we feel that anxiety assails us and thoughts begin to chase each other frantically in the mind. It is enough to practice it for a few minutes.
For other relaxation and meditation techniques suitable for children read also:
The cloud of calm, a simple "trick" to restore tranquility in children
Do you know that you can make mandalas that soothe children with pasta, legumes and leaves?
