Let's Talk - Breathing - a powerful tool!

I am so excited to write about breathing, because I find it so fascinating.

As you no doubt already know, breathing is an unconscious action and without it we would die. We breathe in and out about 22,000 times a day. Our breathing powers us. Our lungs fuel us with oxygen, and that sustains our body and ultimately our life.

Its function is controlled by the primitive brain and as a result we have no reason to even think about it second to second.

But wait....

What happens when we do think about our breathing?

Well, that's when the magic really happens, when we breathe mindfully!

As a Kids Life Coaching I'm so fortunate to get the opportunity to teach the power of breathing to my little coachee's. It is used as a tool to redirect their ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) and BUGs (Big Ugly Grumpies) when they are feeling stressed or having negative thoughts, it really is that powerful. We use the power of the breath to redirect negative thoughts into positive ones and the power of the breath to slow ourselves down and learn to appreciate the small things, to have gratitude for the people and things around us. The good thing about teaching this to kids, is that it regularly reminds me to do the exact same thing.

Lucky for me, I am already a big fan of the power of the breath, one of the best things about it is that it can benefit your health and it's totally free. You just need to do it mindful to feel the extra benefits.

I wanted to use this blog to write a bit about the wacky and simply magnificent Wim Hof, who I came across a few years back, he has been advocating the power of the breath and the cold for many years. I have been using his process daily to oxygenated myself every morning and it feels great. The goal of the Wim Hof Method breathing technique is to teach you to develop mastery over your nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems so you can lead and happy and healthy life. He combines the breathing techniques with cold therapy, but lets leave the cold therapy for another day, I don't want to put you off completely (but if you are interested, check this out (https://www.wimhofmethod.com/cold-therapy).

For those of you that are interesting in breathing the Wim Hof way, believe me it works, (my number one benefit is how much calmer I am with my girls), technique is as follows, this is for you, not your children necessary, although it can benefit them, if they are older children:

'Step 1: Get Comfortable

Assume a meditation posture: sitting, lying down — whichever is most comfortable for you. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction.

Step 2: 30-40 Deep Breaths

Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Be conscious of your breath, and try to fully connect with it. Inhale deeply through the nose or mouth, and exhale unforced through the mouth. Fully inhale through the belly, then chest and then let go unforced. Repeat this 30 to 40 times in short, powerful bursts. You may experience light-headedness, and tingling sensations in your fingers and feet. These side effects are completely harmless.

Step 3: The Hold

After the last exhalation, inhale one final time, as deeply as you can. Then let the air out and stop

Step 4: Recovery Breath

When you feel the urge to breathe again, draw one big breath to fill your lungs. Feel your belly and chest expanding. When you are at full capacity, hold the breath for around 15 seconds, then let go. That completes round number one. This cycle can be repeated 3-4 times without interval. After having completed the breathing exercise, take your time to bask in the bliss. This calm state is highly conducive to meditation — don't hesitate to combine the two'.

(Source: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/breathing-exercises)

Wim doesn't care how you get the breath in, just get it in he says. He has a great app you can use which takes you through these steps in an easy to follow manner, you can find all the information you need on his website. I would highly recommend giving it a try, you might even feel brave enough to give the cold showers a go!!

Breathing properly impacts your well being by lowering stress, relaxing your muscles, and decreasing perspiration as well as increasing the oxygen levels in your blood, providing for increased energy, better sleep, increased focus, determination and a strengthened immune system.

Aside from having the opportunity to talk about the Wim Hof process in my blog, I also wanted to talk a bit more about the mindful, conscious breath as mentioned earlier and how it can help you and your children. It's the breath we actively take when we are in thinking mode, taking a mindful breath is so invigorating it improves your focus, calms your mind and helps you centre yourself.

There are so many times throughout my week when I have the opportunity to fully appreciate my breath, times such as these;

- when practicing Yoga

- when meditating

- when things are getting on top of me and I breath to calm myself down

- when I just wanted to enjoy a moment

- and when I doing my morning Wim Hof routine, of course.

You can help your child to breath mindfully and this will help to calm and centre them, allowing them to focus on their body for a moment. And when they learn that they can control their breathing, they can use it to calm themselves down during times of anxiety or stress.

Try one of these 3 types of breath and see which one they prefer:

Snake Breath: take a slow inhale through the nose and a nice long breathe out through the mouth with a slow hissing sound. Repeat as necessary.

Blowing out a candle: Imagine you have a birthday candle in front of you. Take in a deep breath through the nose and then exhale through the mouth to blow the candle out. Repeat as necessary.

Flower breath: Imagine you are smelling your favourite flower. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Repeat as necessary.

Teach it to them when they are already calm and help them to practice it regularly. When they do need to use it, in a moment of stress or anxiety then make sure you connect on their level first, look them in the eye, name their feeling, 'you look really angry that our plans have changed', or 'you seem really upset, that someone took your ball', help them to breath through the feelings in the way you've practiced. Remember, you are a role model for your child, they learn through you, so show them how you use the same techniques to handle your big feelings.

I really love this mantra by Thich Nhat Hanh’s, which I heard recently in his AudioBook 'Peace is Every Step':

"Breathing in, I am calm. Breathing out, I smile."

He says that “reciting this line is like drinking a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day — you can feel the coolness permeate your body.”

Encourage your child to actually smile (just a slight upturn on the lips will do) as they breathe out. {Research shows that just moving your facial muscles into a smile makes you happier!}

I hope this helps!

Good Luck Parents x