A Quick Technique for Relaxation​

Here is a short, easy breathing technique that can help students calm down, ease their anxiety, and come back to the present moment.

It's called window breathing. The idea is to breathe and focus to soothe the nervous system.

It works like this:

1. Find a door or window in the room.

2. Look at the top left corner. Start taking a breath in, and as you do so, trace your eyes along the top of the door or window.

3. When you reach the top right corner, start to slowly breathe out, tracing your eyes down the right side.

4. When you reach the bottom right corner, start to breathe in, and trace your eyes along the bottom of the door or window.

5. When you reach the bottom left corner, slowly breathe out until you are back at the top left corner.

6. Do a few rounds until your breathing slows, you feel calmer, or you feel more present on your body.

Keep the movements and breath slow, and connect the eye movements and the breath. It may take several rounds before reaching a calmer space; don't rush it. This works well when students reach an overwhelm point and need to find a calmer, clearer mindset.

It would be good to practice it a few times when the student is calm so they understand how it works.

Photo by Rob Wingate on Unsplash

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