Mental Health Zone | Breathing techniques
Breathing is the only part of the autonomic nervous system that we can consciously control. It allows us to distract the mind, calm the nervous system and reduce stress in the body.
BOX BREATHING
Also called rectangular breathing, it includes 4 basic steps, each lasting for 4 seconds:
- Inhale slowly to the count of four. Feel the air enter your lungs and descend to your stomach.
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Try to avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
- Exhale slowly through the mouth/nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
- Repeat
During the exercise, place your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your stomach. A sign of proper breathing is the lifting of the abdomen and the relative rest of the chest area. As you breathe, you can imagine breathing in your favorite color, feeling calmer and more relaxed with each breath. Imagine the color of your stress and release it with each exhalation.
Repeat the exercise until you start feeling more relaxed.
NOTE: Each of us has our own natural rhythm of breathing and the way we breathe when we feel safe and calm, so it is important to find your own pace that relaxes you best. It is very important to try to relax the body, get comfortable and not exert yourself during the exercise because this can produce a counter-effect.
SIMPLE BELLY BREATHING EXERCISE FOR CHILDREN
- To practice belly breathing, ask the child to lie down comfortably and place thier hands on their belly (if you have a stuffed animal, it can be placed on the child’s belly).
- While counting to three, ask them to take a deep breath through their nose.
Tell them to fill thier belly with air as they inhale – „you should feel your belly getting bigger and bigger and bigger for the count of three“. If their stuffed toy is sitting on their belly, they might see it lift up as their belly “fills up with air.” - Ask them to exhale and slowly count to four. Tell them that they might see their toy fall as they feel their belly shrinking and shrinking as you count to four.
To begin with, do five to ten rounds of belly breathing.
When you are ready, ask your child how they felt.
Does it make a difference in how they feel now?
What did they notice anyhing about the stuffed animal as they breathed in and out?
How did it feel when they exhaled?
Repeat the process as many times as the child wants.
BREATHE THROUGH PLAY
- Use soap bubble blowers
- Chew gum and inflate balloons
- Blow away pieces of paper or cotton wool
- Tell a story through which your child helps you imitate a character who breathes deeply (for example, the wolf in “The Three Little Pigs”)
- “Let’s pretend that our belly is a balloon that needs to be inflated”
Explore other relaxation techniques:
