Introducing Breathing with Hand Tracing

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Have you wondered, where is the best place to start when teaching mindfulness?

Breathing is the best place to begin a mindfulness practice. For children, especially in a school setting, we recommend hand tracing as an excellent option for an introductory breath. Many school settings use “Show Me 5” as an attention signal, so we find this strategy fits in easily to existing school cultures and routines.

Start by placing your dominant pointer finger at the bottom of the opposite thumb. Continue by drawing around the perimeter of the hand, inhaling on the way up the finger and exhaling on the way down. This is a quick and easy way to get in five breaths and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Better yet, switch hands and use your non-dominant hand as the tracer for an additional five breaths.

Hand tracing is incredibly effective for addressing anxiety.  This strategy allows students to get “out of their head” and into their body and the somatic input creates a calming influence. We sometimes even offer the affirmation, “I am right here” or “I feel my pointer finger press against my hand”.

It is empowering for students to know that this technique is always accessible. When the situation doesn’t allow you to lie down, close your eyes or use a tool, your hands are always available. Model discreetly hand tracing under a desk to demonstrate that five breaths can be taken anywhere at anytime.

 

 

We like to show the variation of tracing your hand on a table as well. This is especially useful during transitions when students need to arrive at a new space and is effective when combined with head on desk. At home, try before dinner or homework time.

 

 

 


 

 

Also, hand tracing on someone else’s back can be a great variation of back drawing or back breathing. Paraprofessionals love using this during high tension situations, like assemblies or tests. Also, try this strategy at home on your child or loved one before bedtime.

 

 

 

Hand tracing is the perfect entry point for mindfulness. Coworkers, parents and students  can start using this highly effective breathing strategy for self-regulation right away.

Have you tried hand tracing? When might you use this strategy? Leave a comment!

Be Well,

Stephanie Kennelly

 

 

Back Breathing and Emotional Support

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What is the best strategy to connect with others through breath?

Back breathing from the Yoga Calm® Curriculum is the perfect partner pose to help foster empathy and compassion for others.

Before introducing back breathing as a partner pose, practice individually. Start in child’s pose, resting head on stacked fists. Practice breathing into the back, feeling the ribs expand to the ceiling. Inhale and exhale focusing on inflating the back. From this position, it is almost impossible to breath into the chest or stomach.

In the classroom setting, I would recommend using this activity only after students have built community and trust. Since back breathing feels slightly more intimate than some other partner poses, try using back drawing first to get comfortable with appropriate touch.

During back breathing, the partner gently places open hands on the other’s back. I find it helpful to discuss appropriate pressure. Too light and the effect is lost. Too heavy and breathing feels restricted.

While the physical touch is an important component of back breathing, the act of synchronizing breath can have a tremendous impact on building positive relationships. That being said, I always make this activity optional. Students can join the group with a breathing ball to match breath.

Afterwards, have students switch roles so that they can experience giving and receiving. The idea of “supporting one another” can sometimes seem abstract to young children, so having a direct experience can go along way. You can experience support in an active posture like partner pull, but this is great way to experience support in a more passive, relaxed state.

As students become comfortable, there is also an opportunity to discuss anatomy. Move hands from low back, mid-back, and upper back with the directive to “breathe into the hands”. It is amazing how much surface area the lungs take up in the chest and how, with concentration, you can activate the breath in certain areas.

Try using back breathing at home with your children or loved ones! I love back breathing with my boys before bedtime. As I place my hands on my son’s lower back, we begin to sync long, slow breaths. I even will sometimes use verbals cues like, “inhale… exhale”. This strategy is a quick and effective way to connect non-verbally and slow down the body for sleep.

Have you tried back breathing? Would you use it in your classroom? Give it a try with a family member and let us know how it goes. Post a comment!

Be Well,

Stephanie Kennelly

Glitter Jars and Gratitude Breath

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What strategies do you, and the youth you work with, have for regulating emotions?

Think about a situation where it felt like it took every last ounce of your willpower to stay cool, calm and collected.  As I write this, I have to admit that my moment just happened a couple hours ago when I just couldn’t handle it anymore…my kids seemed to be crying about e-ve-ry-thing! I tried to stay calm, but that calmness muscle in my body had been fatigued, and I lost my cool. I threw my son’s‚ yet-to-be-eaten supper in the sink after he changed his mind twice about how he wanted it cut up, but then didn’t want it cut up. Let me just make it clear that I actually did throw it like a ball through the air into the sink. It felt really good at the time. However, my time with my kids is precious and I don’t want to waste it by being frustrated and impatient. I was able to recognize this quickly, and use some tools I have learned as a wellness professional and parent to make the best of this situation.

I stepped away and took a gratitude breath.

Here is how you do it:

Sit or stand up nice and tall through your spine. Place your right hand on your heart and your left hand over your belly button. Breathe in slowly through your nose and let the air travel through your chest and all the way down into your belly so that your bottom hand in gently pushed out by your belly.

Hold that breath for a second and then slowly release the breath so it takes slightly longer to breath it out than it did to breath it in. Continue this slow, deep breathing pattern for as long as you’d like. The hand that is on your heart reminds you to think of one thing that you feel grateful for at the moment. If it’s hard for you to come up with something, you can be grateful for a beating heart!

Consider using this exercise once per day at a point of transition and savor how it makes you feel‚ perhaps more settled and happy! Better yet, try it with your kids! Using the breathing ball, or Hoberman Sphere, can help children visualize this breath work as well.

Another tool that helps inspire calm is a glitter jar (aka: calming jars, mindfulness jars, relaxation jars). I have used them with adult clients as well we with my own children.

When you shake the jars, they show an excellent illustration of how our mind, body and spirits can feel when life gets too chaotic and out of control. As we watch the glitter inside the jar, we begin to take calming deep breaths all the way down to a relaxed belly. As those breaths flow in and out, we watch the glitter begin to settle to the bottom of the jar. We notice the top of the jar beginning to become clear once again. We notice that our bodies are settling and our minds are becoming more clear. It takes a matter of two minutes to notice the shift from chaos and clutter to peace and clarity. These jars can be used by people of absolutely any age which is why I am sharing the recipe with you. You can give these as gifts to people to show your gratitude for them. A win-win for all!

Supplies needed:

  • Container of your choice with a tight fitting lid
  • Elmer’s clear glue
  • Water
  • Fine glitter

Step 1: Fill the container 20% full with glue. (use more glue if you’d like the glitter to settle more slowly)

Step 2: Fill the container to the 80% full level with very hot/slightly boiling water.

Step 3: Gently stir the water and glue together until they are blended evenly.

Step 4: Add 1 tsp. of fine glitter and slowly stir into the water and glue mixture. (1 tsp. works well in an 8 oz. container. Adjust according to container size)

Step 5: Add room temperature water until the container is almost full. Place cover on tightly, shake it up, and enjoy!

Hopefully these two examples, the gratitude breath and the calming jars, can be useful to you in the future to help you find find peace and calm. Each of us already has a toolbox of strengths, talents, support systems and techniques that we can have access to during difficult situations. Now, grab your tools, find your calm, and live on!

About the Author:

Brooke Campbell is a wellness coach, personal trainer and group exercise instructor. She believes in SAVORING experiences, living SIMPLY and SHINING with joy and abundance. She can be reached at brookecampbell23@gmail.com.

Breathing Ball and Routine

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Are you interested in incorporating mindfulness into your daily instruction with students.. but you’re not sure where to start?

At 1000 Petals, we always begin with our Hoberman Sphere, teaching students to breathe mindfully.

Here is a step by step guide about implementing (and growing) a student led breathing routine.

Step 1- Teacher Models
To begin, start by modeling breathing with the Hoberman Sphere. Inhale open, exhale close, One. Inhale open, exhale close, Two. 5-10 breaths is what is needed to transition from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system.

Step 2- Student Leaders
Then, a student steps into the role of the breathing leader and manipulates the sphere. Shortly thereafter, another student became the “counter”. The counter chooses the number of breaths (between 5-10) and also keeps count while the leader uses the sphere.


Step 3- The Chime
Next, we introduce the chime. A student rings the chime to begin the breathing routine. It takes about 20 seconds for the ring to stop, so it is a good way to settle into our bodies before the breathing ball begins.

Step 4- Glitter Jar
A great option to add in is the glitter jar. It serves as a metaphor for the body (or even for the classroom) when things are crazy, confusing and tense. A student made the observation of, “When you stop shaking the jar, its like ringing the chime! So, can I shake the jar before the chime ringer does her job?” The glitter jar serves as an extra visual (and leadership opportunity).

Step 5- Compliments
As it happens mid year, many of our routines were needing a pick me up! That is when I introduced compliments. After the breathing routine, the class would offer a compliment for each leader. It not only served as a bucket filler, but also a good reminder of our purpose. Compliments like, “You spoke with a firm but calming voice” and “You stayed grounded the entire time” made all of us smile!

But… then one day a breathing leader said, “You know, we all get compliments, but what about the rest of the class? Can I give them a compliment?” Sure. So, after the leader received a compliment they turned around and gave a compliment to someone else! (incase you are keeping score, that is eight compliments)

Step 6- Intentions
Whew. But there’s more. Recently a student said, “I would like to give an intention to the class after we breathe. Something that they can think about.” Sure! Most students use our intention wall as inspiration, but some have been creating their own lately. See this post  for more information on my wall and this post  for more information on writing an intention.

So, in total… that is five breathing leaders. Remember though, this routine developed organically, mostly driven by the students, and started with me simply taking five breaths with the Hoberman Sphere. So, where do you start? Five belly breaths with the Hoberman Sphere.

So, why did it grow? It grew because the students see value in the practice. They see value in taking two minutes for breathing. They see value in being involved in the community. They see value is being a leader.

The reason that this works is two fold.

It is a daily routine. It happens every. single. day. It is a gift we give our students. It is time to slow down and feel the effects of breath.

Second, it serves as a “as needed” intervention. The students will say, “We need to breathe” and request the routine. Think, after an assembly. Before a test. In the middle of a big project.

Want to see the routine in action? Watch this video  for an example of what the routine looks like in a real classroom. It is 2 minutes and 22 seconds. It is about 1 minute of breathing and about 1 minute of compliments. This video was taken at the end of morning meeting right before physical education. The students were going to start roller blading… a very exciting time for our school! I was amazed that the nervous, excited energy from minutes before completely changed with the muscle memory of this routine. Note: One of my favorite parts of the video you can’t really hear. The compliment for the affirmation, “I trust myself” is, “I like how you chose ‘I trust myself’ because we are going rollerblading and it takes some balance and trust to do that”.

Have you used a breathing routine? How have your students responded? Leave a comment!

Be Well,
Stephanie Kennelly

Ready to Learn and PLCs

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Third graders are excitable people. As a teacher of young children, I find our days fly by as they are filled to the brim with curriculum, walking to lunch, the library, recess, specialists, etc., adapting to transitions from one subject to another within the classroom, and managing social issues that come up in a classroom of 28 different personalities. Sometimes the class just needs to stop, become quiet, and sit.

The third grade team at Capitol Hill Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota acknowledged to each other that our students needed time to pause during the school day before starting something new.  The students needed protected moments of quiet during the jam packed school day. As part of our Professional Learning Community (PLC), we decided to implement a strategy in all of the five third grade classrooms called “Ready to Learn”. Many of our students move from room to room and having the same strategy built into our classrooms would prove beneficial for all teachers. Eventually we taught the specialist teachers the strategy as well.

“Ready to Learn” was made up of three parts: Pause, Breathe, and Think about what‘s next. We felt this would provide students with techniques to self manage.

Ring a chime

Say “Ready to Learn” to the class

This was followed by the expectation to:

PAUSE
be still
close eyes or look at a focal point

BREATHE
Count to 4 as we breathe in, hold for a count of 4, count to 4 with slow breaths out (square breathing)
Close eyes or gaze at the floor while breathing

THINK
Activate your mind
Plan next steps

As a result of this practice, students will even do this on their own when needed. There is nothing like seeing an eight year old in the midst of classroom chaos stop, breathe, and refocus. I’ve seen it happen numerous times.

Teachers also gain great satisfaction and self care by taking the time to do “Ready to Learn” throughout the school day. We were able to center ourselves and improve our own teaching and learning along with the students.

Have you worked with a team or PLC on self-regulation techniques? What has worked well? Leave a comment!

Readers,

We at 1000-Petals are featuring different writers on the blog. This week, elementary teacher, Elizabeth Simmer is sharing her perspective. If you have a story to share, please email stephanie@1000-petals.com. Guest writers will be offered a discount on merchandise from our store. We hope to hear from you soon!

Educating heart, mind and body,
Stephanie Kennelly

Elizabeth Simmer is a third grade teacher at Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet School in Saint Paul, MN. 1000-Petals has worked with many staff at Capitol Hill, including Elizabeth, and hosted a training for Mindful Leaders.

Elizabeth has worked for 20 years with Saint Paul Public Schools as a classroom teacher, intervention teacher, and curriculum coach. She enjoys yoga, writing, travel, and learning with her students every day. She can be reached at elizabeth.simmer@stpaul.k12.mn.us.

Pinwheel Breath and Engineering

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Have you seen a student stuck in a feeling of anxiety or anger? The best thing you can do in this situation, is provide a strategy to regulate breathing and oxygenate the body.

I always like to introduce pinwheel breath early in the school year. The pinwheel serves as a incentivizing tool. Watching the colors go around and around will memorize almost every user. The “toy” also makes this breath accessible because it seems a bit more lighthearted. (You can purchase a class set of pinwheels in our store.)

The Yoga Calm curriculum describes pinwheel breathing as a focus on the long steady exhale. It is a releasing breath that helps regulate the nervous system and calm anxieties. The pinwheel serves as a focal point, which increases focus and can be effective when used before testing or other activities that require intense concentration.

From a science perspective, you can visually experience the transfer of your energy (breath) to create motion energy (pinwheel). No breath, no energy. This idea integrates fabulously into science and engineering standards.

Here are some tips for integrating Pinwheel Breath into your science objectives.

1. Building Background

A great place to start is by building background about wind energy. Students wrestled with the real-world pros and cons that face our political and industrial leaders.

Next, I shared a real world example and read aloud the inspirational story of William Kamkwamba. William engineered a windmill to save his African village. See his Ted Talk  and read more about his biography. The picture book “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” is a great read aloud for all ages.

2. Field Trips

If possible, take students outside to experience wind power first hand! We visited our local nature center to observe the electricity turbine and windmill water pump. We then went inside the schoolhouse and built circuits to power turbine models. How is wind energy utilized in your neighborhood?

     

3. Engineering

Once back in the classroom, have students use this Pinwheel Template to create their own pinwheel. Better yet, provide an assortment of supplies and allow open ended inquiry. Students can apply their knowledge to engineer a device that gains motion energy from wind energy

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, it all comes back to the social emotional work we do during mindful movement. Students are now invested into the pinwheel as a tool. They understand the importance of their breath. They have a strategy when the anger or anxiety bubbles back to the surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tried pinwheel breathing? Leave a comment on what you have tried!

Be Well,
Stephanie Kennelly

Pulse Count and Math Talk

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Do you have students fighting the calming breaths?

Sometimes, allowing yourself to be calm can be kind of scary. I have found that resistant students respond best to Pulse Count. It is a safe way to allow yourself to stop because there is a non-threatening specific purpose- to count.

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “count to ten” when you are upset or angry. Well, this breathing tool takes that to the next level. Not only are you counting (probably past ten), but you are also getting in tune with your body. You are literally feeling your body.

I began teaching pulse count with a brief, third grade appropriate, overview of the heart and circulatory system. Then hooked them with…

High heart rate in gym? Good. High heart rate during a test? Bad. But here’s the good news is YOU are in control of your heart beat! Don’t believe me? Let’s try this-
Take a 30 second pulse count. Record data.

Do 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Take a 30 second pulse count. Record Data.

Do 10 belly breaths. Take a 30 second pulse count. Record data.

Just looking at the raw numbers- the kids were blown away at the results.
Here is a sample (40 beats, 86 beats, 36 beats)

The real power here is the power of recovery. Seeing that with ten belly breaths, the body is able to totally self-regulate from a point of almost maximum exertion.

Later in the week I had a boy in tears… on the verge of a panic attack. I told him, “Remember pulse count? You can recover. You have the power to control your body. Let’s do a pulse count together”. Getting him out of his head, counting, breathing and feeling in control, he was able to self-regulate within a minute. Almost seems magical.

Okay, now the connection to all important the Common Core. You are thinking, “Stephanie, it’s Beats Per Minute… not 30 seconds. Why cut it short?” Enter- MATH TALK!

What is Math Talk? When students engage in meaningful math talk, they have the opportunity to increase their conceptual understanding and deepen mathematics content knowledge. When they can connect it to a real world experience, it is even more meaningful. How can the 30 second pulse count help you figure out Beats Per Minute? Without giving them any “hints” students worked through ideas together using the following sentence stems. (pulse-count-doc)

see attached student work samples

Focusing on emotional tools for self regulation? Check. Supporting English Language Learners? Check. Creating meaningful connections to the common core? Check. What’s not to love?

Bonus for our Blog Readers- Enjoy the Pulse Count card from our Move Mindfully Card Deck!

Please leave a comment with ideas of how to connect Pulse Count to other science or math standards!

Be Well,
Stephanie Kennelly

Woodchopper and Growth Mindset

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Sometimes we need calming breaths… and sometimes we need releasing breaths!

Sometimes Mindful Movement can have the stigma of “all calm all the time”. However, our mission centers on responding to the body where it is at… and sometimes it is not calm. When there is so much built up (tension, frustration, anxiety, anger) in the body, it must be released. Wood Chopper is an excellent tool for students to “huh” it out it a controlled and safe manner.

Sometimes, these feelings can cause students to feel overwhelmed and demoralized. I also like to use Wood Chopper as a vehicle for creating positive self-talk and developing a Growth Mindset. Here is a visual of positive self-talk replacing the negative.

As I began teaching Wood Chopper, I noticed that the first dozen times the students made the “huh” sound on the exhale, there was a lot of laughing and giggling. It is a funny, slightly uncomfortable, feeling that many have never expressed. One of my students even expressed it as, “It is like hitting someone in football, except you don’t have to hit anyone”. There is a real release happening and laughing can be an instinctual reaction to this emotion. Let’s face it…if we want to teach self-regulation when need to have the students practice going from 0-60 and 60-0.

Eventually, I had students lead our Wood Chopper breathing. We worked together to develop an anchor chart of things that we want to bring in and what we would have to let go of to create that space. Students could cue from the poster or come up with their own ideas. For example it may sound like, “Breathe in bravery (inhale), breathe out fear (huh)!”

It was the end of the day, a time when craziness inside begins to stir, and two boys were rough-housing as they were stacking their chairs. I gave them the raised eye brows look and one caught my gaze and said, “I breathe in calm, I breathe out silly” as he did a woodchopper breath. He looked at me and smiled, knowing he was being somewhat cheeky… but the thing is—it worked. It calmed him down. Furthermore, he had the ability to recognize his state and self regulate.

Use woodchopper to emotionally prepare. Taking in the positive and releasing the negative is the first step in being able to develop a growth mindset. In knowing that you are not a fixed point in the universe. You are continually growing and changing and that ultimately, you are in control of that trajectory.

Bonus for Blog Readers! Check out the Wood Chopper card from our Move Mindfully Card Deck.

Please leave a comment on how you have used Woodchopper!

Be Well,
Stephanie Kennelly

Volcano Breath and Morning Meeting

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Breath work allows us to set an intention and align our body and mind.

You may be reading this article on yoga and be thinking… I haven’t been able to touch my toes since college! The good news is, our Mindful Movement work begins with simply breathing.

My favorite breath to teach is Volcano Breath. It is an upward arm movement synced to inhale, and a downward arm movement synced to an exhale. I even use it at home with my preschooler!

This year our school has focused on Responsive Classroom and adopted a 30 minute, uninterrupted, Morning Meeting block. Let me just say, this is a fabulous way to start the day. Greeting, sharing, activity, message… it all comes together in a synergy of feeling well and starting the day off right! If you are not using Morning Meeting, think of another time when everyone comes together as a group (calendar, huddle, etc.). This time of day is the perfect place to implement volcano breath.

We end our morning meeting with a volcano breath. This year, considering our attendance goal to cut down absentees and tardies, I am adding a volcano breath for each absent student. I have cued the class to put his or her image in their heart thought and send it out. Twice last week, the tardy student ended up arriving, which prompted comments like, “Our heart thoughts worked!”

Another way to utilize volcano breath is to set an intention. It can be an individual intention, but it can also be a class intention. Working on reading stamina? Have students visualize what it would feel like to get really into a book….so lost in a book that the rest of the room disappears and time stands still. Have them really step into this feeling. Then, breathe your volcano breath for love of reading. Guaranteed impact. Working on kindness? Visualize what it feels like make a new friend. Then, breathe your volcano breath for the love of friendship. You get the idea. Yes, some of you may be reading this thinking it sounds a bit too “new age-y” for your taste, but this group focus technique packs a bigger punch than simply writing your learning target on the white board. Students are actively, physically, emotionally connecting to what it is you want to accomplish.

Still skeptical? One final anecdotal victory lap for Yoga Calm. One of our reading interventionists approached me and said, “I was testing one of your students and in between books I told her she could take a little stretch break. She sat there, closed her eyes, and did five volcano breaths!” Drop the mic. Two weeks in and kids are already realizing the power and strength they can find in their own breath. This is what it is all about people. I challenge you to give it a try. It will change your students. It will change you.

Anyone can teach volcano breath and have rapid, impactful results. Include a heart thought or an intention to include an emotional response into the physical sensation.

Leave a comment below about your experience.

Be Well,

Stephanie Kennelly