Here’s a deep breath with a visual aid built right within it!
The heart breath gets kids to focus within their heart center while breathing in and out.
First, put your hands on your heart so that you can feel it beating as you breathe in and out.
You can make the shape of a heart with your hands
or just hold them crossed over one another in front of your heart
Or, you can hold a paper heart in front of your heart
Next, close your eyes or look in a mirror as you breathe in and out and imagine that the breath is entering in and out through your hands or the paper heart. Make sure that the exhale is longer than the inhale and pause for a couple seconds between each breath.
As you do this with your kids, try checking in with your body before and after to compare how you feel. Notice if your energy or thoughts change in any way. See if your mind calms down or if your body feels more relaxed. See if you can generate a feeling of love and send it out to someone you know. Have fun decorating your paper hearts. Place it in a place where you can see it and where it will remind you to pause for a moment to do a heart breath.
I was inspired during my studies to become a practitioner with HeartMath® to create these visual aids. For more breaths and activities like this, please visit Heartmath.org.
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