Do You Breathe Mindfully? (Jan. 22, 2022)

This week, I've been thinking a lot about breath this week. My elementary students have been pretty charged up for a variety of reasons, and I've been observing that they are not giving themselves a moment's rest. They largely run on inertia and do not tend to slow down until someone makes them. Let's be honest, we know plenty of adults like that as well. When my students get like this, I work with them on breathing. We close our eyes and breath slowly. Their bodies relax and they become more focused. Even just two minutes of this allows them to reset. let go of what they carried in from previous classes, and get ready to take in some new information. Consider giving yourself this opportunity as well. You don't need to carve out much time in the day to focus on your breath - just two minutes will do! If you are interested, here is an article from last February about how breathing can help relieve stress. The author, Anusha Wijeyakumar, provides information on how the breath works to calm the body, as well as a few recommended breathing exercises.