Breathing expert, mother and author of Breathe Well, Aimee Hartley, talks us through five easy-to-do breathing techniques
Image above and 1-4, courtesy of School Breathe.
There’s no two ways about it, life has been strange and unsettling recently. But there have been benefits too. Despite the underlying global anxiety, the fact we have been all forced to slow down and step off the treadmill has brought with it new perspective ands a new sense of calm. Some highlights have included more quality time at home with the family, a greater connection with nature and more time to think. And yet, there is still so much to worry about. If ever there has been a time or opportunity to practise good breathing, to help enhance a sense of wellbeing, now is it. Below, Aimee Hartley, a breathworker and yoga teacher, talks us through five breathing techniques that you can easily do with your children. Her recently published first book Breathe Well, has been a bit of a bible during lockdown in our household.
Aimee, who moved her family from east London to the Welsh borders at the end of last year, has been teaching breathing techniques for over 10 years. She is founder of the School Breathe programme which brings the benefits of better breathing to classrooms across London. ‘It’s been proven that a little and often breath work practice can help improve concentration, lower stress levels, boost confidence and help children to connect with the present moment, all of which are essential qualities for learning,’ says Aimee. ‘The programme has reached over 1,500 children already and we are hoping many more will learn the importance of breathing well and how this can benefit them throughout their lives.’
Breathe Well is now available at Amazon. Read more about Aimee at The Breathing Room.
1. Cool, calm centered breath
Simple and effective with so many benefits, this allows our breath rate to take a slower pace. Science suggests that by reducing the breaths we take per minute (the average adult takes 12 breaths per min and children can breathe twice as quickly). The ideal breath rate is six breaths per minute for adults. Breath rate for children vary as their lungs are constantly growing. Tell kids to breathe into their bellies so when they breathe in their bellies rise.
Benefits
Feel calmer and more present.
Slow breathing lowers blood pressure.
Slows heart rate
Focuses the mind.
How?
Breathe in through the nose for a count of four (or five if you can) Breathe out through the nose for a count of four (or five if you can) Repeat this until you are feeling calmer.
2. Focus breath
Repeat this between five to ten times whenever you need to boost your focus. You can bring in a count of four or five when you have learned the routine (i.e breathe in for four. breathe out for four). This great for improving focus and allowing the mind to quieten and can also help you drift off to sleep.
How?
Breathe in through the nose. Breathe out through the nose. Breathe in through mouth. Breathe out through the mouth. Breathe in through the nose. Breathe out through the mouth. Breathe in through the mouth. Breathe out through the nose.
3. Box breathe
Learning to perfect the classic box breath technique will help you to feel calm and focused.
How?
Make the ratio threes if counting in for four is too much. Or if you find this really easy, please extend to five or six. Please note: don't hold the breath if you are pregnant.
Breathe in for a count of four. Hold for a count of four. Breathe out for a count of four. Hold for a count of four. Visualise going along the side of a box (see diagram, left) as you take each breathe - this will help you stay focused throughout.
4. Tarzan breath
Channelling our ancestral ‘inner gorilla’ can help us flex our vocal chords, and reconnect us with this primal sound. This breath exercise can often bring on a bout of the laughs too, which can be a welcomed workout for the diaphragm.
Benefits
Releases anger and frustration.
Clears stagnant energy around the throat and vocal cords.
The elongated exhalation will aid the ‘rest and digest’ response.
Challenges your comfort zone.
How?
Stand or sit with a comfortable posture. Inhale slowly and deeply through the nostrils, taking a deep belly breath in and then take in a little more air to fill the upper chest with air. On the exhalation, open the mouth nice and wide and make a Gorilla-like sound ‘AHHHHHHHHHH’.
Continue with this sound until the breath and sound runs out. Keep going…..there’s always more ‘out breath’ than you think. Now, you can bring your ‘gorilla hands’ into play. Contrary to how films portray the great apes, they use the palms of their hands to beat their chests not their fists. Bring both hands to the upper chest, place the palms flat on the upper chest, you can make light fists should you prefer, just below the collarbones. Close the eyes if that makes it easier to feel physical sensations in the body. Breathe in slowly through the nose. Open the mouth, breathing out, make a low gorilla-like “AHHHHHHHHHHH” sound as you exhale.
Channel your inner gorilla, as you beat the palms of the hands on the upper chest, just below the collarbones. Take a few resting breaths in through the nose, out through the nose, between each round. Breathe in through the nose, out through the nose and notice any physical sensations in the body. Some can feel energy moving in the upper chest and vibrations just below the collarbones and sometimes mild vibrations in the throat. Repeat this breath technique with the gentle beating of the upper chest three to five times.
5. Hot chocolate breath
Benefits
Exercises the imagination.
Extending the exhalation triggers a relaxation response.
Brings the child into the present moment.
Cultivates a fun relationship with breath work.
Calms the mind.
How?
Imagine you are holding a mug of the most delicious hot chocolate.
The warmth of the mug brings heat to your hands.
Bring the imaginary cup up to just under your nose.
Take a long inhale through the nose, imagine smelling all the delicious rich flavours of chocolate.
Gently breathe out slowly through the lips, as you cool the hot chocolate down. Imagine you can see steam drifting away from the mug as you breathe out.
Breathe in slowly as you allow the scent of the hot chocolate to enter the nostrils.
Slowly breathe out through the lips, as you cool the hot chocolate down a little more.
Repeat one more time, breathing in through the nose slowly, breathing out fully through the mouth.
Image: Breathe Well/Kyle Books
Breathe Well by Aimee Hartley is now available at Amazon. Read more about Aimee at The Breathing Room.