Breathing in Shapes?

Most know that breath work is an important part of any yoga class. Connecting your breath to your mind, body and emotions as an adult can seem pretty straight forward - you take a deep breath in through your nose and then exhale through your mouth, releasing tension, anxiety and your worries from the day. After repeating this several times, you're left feeling calmer and rejuvenated. In kids yoga, this type of breathing exercise is often confusing or seems too "boring". The concept just doesn't make sense. Children often feel emotions and anxiety very deeply but don't know how to alleviate them and can't understand why breathing would help. So how can we help our young yogis to cope with everyday stressors through breath? Make the exercise fun with something most children are familiar with - shapes! Tracing the shapes below while breathing in for a timed count and then out will help your child to self-regulate without even realizing what they are doing. An added bonus? You can take shape breathing anywhere - just use your finger to trace an imaginary shape while slowly breathing in and out. Challenge them to "breath" as many shapes as they can and you're guaranteed a few minutes of breath awareness for a happier and calmer child!

#yoga #kidsyoga #breath #breathwork #yogabreath #shapebreath #pranayama