The 1% Club
3 of Diamonds
Breathing
Medium Level
We breathe all the time without even thinking about it!
But sometimes, focusing on our breath can help us stay calm or concentrate better. You can try fun breathing techniques like starfish breathing or box breathing to help with this.
Starfish breathing:
- Hold one hand out in front of you, fingers spread wide like a starfish.
- Use the index finger of your other hand to slowly trace up and down each finger.
- As you trace up one side of a finger, take a deep breath in through your nose.
- As you trace down the other side of the finger, breathe out slowly through your mouth.
- Continue tracing each finger and matching your breath to the movement until you’ve traced your whole hand.
Box breathing:
- Slowly breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, filling your lungs completely.
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
- Slowly breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds, emptying your lungs.
- Hold your breath again for 4 seconds.
- Repeat this cycle as many times as needed. The pattern creates a “box” shape if you imagine the timing on a graph.
Box breathing and starfish breathing are awesome ways to help you feel calm and relaxed. When you do these breathing exercises, they help slow down your heart, clear your mind, and make you feel less stressed. It’s like giving your brain a little break, so you can stay focused and feel better, especially if you’re feeling worried or upset. Plus, they’re super easy to do wherever you are!
One study compared three 5-minute daily breathwork exercises: cyclic sighing, box breathing, and a special type of deep breathing. The researchers found that these breathwork activities improved mood, anxiety, and reduced heart rate.1
Small changes CAN make a big difference – that’s what The 1% Kids’ Club is all about.
Videos
- Start by showing students how to breathe using the “box” pattern. Use visual aids, such as a picture of a box, to help them follow the pattern. You can draw this on the board or provide a handout.
- Practice box breathing together as a class a few times to help everyone get the hang of it.
- To make it a regular part of their day, incorporate box or starfish breathing into daily routines, such as before tests, after breaks, or at the start of the day.
- Pause, Breathe, Smile school-based mindfulness programme, found enhanced emotion regulation and improvements in focus to benefit learning.2 Check out this link for more: Integrating mindfulness into learning – Education Gazette.
- Breathing exercise for kids video for in-class brain breaks!
- Show your child how to use breathing techniques by practicing them yourself.
- Make the exercises fun by turning them into a game or incorporating them into activities they enjoy; for instance, you could pretend to blow up a balloon or smell a flower.
- To help make breathing exercises a regular habit, incorporate them into your daily routine, practicing during calm moments like before bedtime or after school.
- Balban, M. Y., Neri, E., Kogon, M. M., Weed, L., Nouriani, B., Jo, B., Holl, G., Zeitzer, J. M., Spiegel, D., & Huberman, A. D. (2022). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 4(1).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895 - Education Gazette editors. (2020, November 18).
https://gazette.education.govt.nz/articles/integrating-mindfulness-into-learning/
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