Fun and energizing! Increase attention and awareness with Bunny Breathing.
Breathing techniques can help children learn self-awareness and self-regulation. Conscious breathing, or controlled breathing, allows children to connect to their breath and an inner ability to use breath as a calming, focusing or energizing strategy.
Connecting to breath helps rein in spiraling thoughts. Breath can provide a focal point when anxious emotions take over. When you notice your child cycling in thought, try using a breathing technique to help refocus.
We all have strong emotions! Conscious breathing can be used to tolerate the physical symptoms of emotions and regulate our responses to them. Humans are not born with the ability to manage emotions, or self-regulate. It is a learned skill, or a social emotional skill.
Skills like self-awareness, self-management, decision making, problem solving and social awareness are learned from the role modeling of our parents, teachers and other consistent members of our support system.
Try using Bunny Breathing to help your child foster their ability to recognize how they are feeling and acting, or the social emotional skills of self-awareness and self-management.
Bunny Breathing
3 short sniff inhales followed by a long open mouth exhale sigh
Repeating bunny breathing gives children the chance to notice the difference between long and short breaths. If able to identify when they’re experiencing short breaths (similar to when upset), and can understand how to slow breath down (as needed to calm) they have learned how to self-manage. They are better prepared for those inevitable high-anxiety situations.
Bunny breathing is also invigorating and energizing! Use when you need to raise spirits and energy. As your little bunny improves, have them slow their exhale and learn control and focus. Children can also sit on heals like a bunny or bounce like a bunny!
Thank You
Thank you for reading! Wishing you all a very happy spring and joy filled time at home.