Pranayama

Pranayama is essentially breathing. There are so many benefits to the body and mind when we breathe correctly. Ever heard someone say, ‘take a deep breath?’ when you’ re feeling a little bit stressed or something upsetting or unpleasant has happened, that’s because taking a deep breath actually works on a physiological level to calm us down and help us to think clearly.

I believe children should be taught these techniques to enable them to manage and control how they are feeling independently, equipping them with an incredibly valuable skill for life.

These pranayama for kids techniques are fun activities that enable children to experience the power of their breath in a fun and appealing way.

Give them a try at home!

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Toy Breathing

Calming

Choose your favourite teddy bear or toy

Lie on your back and place your teddy on your stomach

Direct your breath so that as you breath in your tummy rises and falls

Watch as you make your toy go up and down like on a rollercoaster!

Belly breathing is a fantastic calming breath.

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Flower Power

Invigorating

Get a collection of wild flowers (don’t go stealing someone’s roses!) Daisies and dandelions are perfect!

Place them on your outstretched palm

With a huge breath see how far you can blow them off your hands!

Have a competition with a friend or sibling

You’ll soon feel the effects of taking those big juicy breaths!

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Bubbles

Calming and invigorating

Blowing bubbles is a pranayama and a mindfulness activity rolled into one!

Children love bubbles and this extremely simple activity will keep them entertained for hours.

Make it exciting and create your own bubble wands out of recycled junk and your own soap solutions by adding sugar to washing up liquid.

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Star Breathing

Calming

Spread your fingers wide to form a star shape.

Using your first finger of your other hand trace up and around each finger keeping contact at all times.

Next add in the breath, when you trace up a finger you breath in and when you trace down a finger you breath out.

By the time you have traced up and down each finger you have taken 5 big breaths, enough to calm any body down,

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Party Breathers

Invigorating

Make a cone out of paper

glue long tassels of tissue paper, or light weight ribbon to the pointy end of the cone

Decorate as you like

Place the large end of the cone over your mouth and watch as the tissue paper goes flying

(note - this requires strong breath, more suitable for age 7+)