Mindfulness Of Breath For Kids (& Adults)

During this Mindfulness of Breath Practice you can choose to lie down with an origami boat (we do this in class) or a soft toy resting over your belly button or you can sit with your hands resting over your belly. You are invited to keep your eyes open so you can watch the movement of your belly with your breath. This is a practice to notice and focus on your breath. If your mind is busy with thoughts or other distractions you can learn to use your deep belly breaths as an anchor, to help you stay in the present moment, and to help you feel more calm and relaxed.

Transcript

Mindfulness of breath practice for kids.

So let's get our mindful bodies on.

So if you're sitting,

You're sitting open and upright like a mountain,

Still and grounded,

With your hands resting over your belly.

Or you might be lying down on your back,

Balanced and symmetrical,

With your soft toy or origami boat resting over your belly button.

And you're most welcome to use a little pillow under your head.

Please keep your eyes open for this practice so you can watch your belly.

So let's start with three slow,

Deep belly breaths to help calm your mind and body.

Can you rock your boat,

Soft toy or hands,

Gently with your deep belly?

Can you rock your hands,

Gently with your deep belly breaths?

Some people may find breathing down into their belly difficult,

And that's fine.

It's helpful to know that the more you practice breathing down into your belly,

The easier it will get,

And the more helpful it becomes to help relax and calm your nervous system.

You can think of your belly like the waves of an ocean,

Constantly rising and falling as you breathe in and out.

Sometimes your waves can be big and almost knock your boat or soft toy off balance.

And sometimes they're small waves and barely affect your boat,

Toy or hands.

And just like the ocean,

Underneath those constantly moving waves lies the quiet and calm ocean floor.

This is your anchor spot.

Can you feel your anchor spot deep in your belly?

Can you feel your breath deep in your belly?

Now keep watching and feeling your boat,

Your soft toy or your hands rock up and down with your breath.

And every time your mind gets disturbed,

You can just relax and relax.

And every time your mind gets distracted,

Just gently bring your attention back to your anchor spot,

Deep in your belly.

Another tool to help keep your attention on your breath is to name your breath.

So with the rhythm of your breath,

You can say silently in your mind,

Breathe in.

And then you can say the name of your breath.

And then you can say the name of your breath.

And then you can say the name of your breath.

So silently in your mind,

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Or some people prefer to count their breath.

So on your next in breath,

You can say silently in your mind,

One.

And then you continue breathing and counting each time you breathe in,

All the way up to 10.

And as we come towards the end of this mindfulness of breath practice,

You might like to help reactivate your body by wiggling your fingers and toes.

You might need to collect your boat or your soft toy off your belly and then have a gentle stretch.

Thank you.

Reviews

Great short breath work for energetic kids that have hard time sitting still. Namaste🙏🏻💙

As an adult, I still enjoyed it. Wish I had an origami boat with me 🙏

Wonderful! I’m not even a child and it really helped me! Thank you 🙏🏼🌲

Very simple and effective 😊👍