Mindful activity:
Box Breathing
This season, we’ve focused our creative activity on ‘Framing Time’. Now we’re going to use a visual image to help us frame our mindful activity.
Sometimes called ‘Square Breathing’, ‘Box Breathing’ is a simple way to help you feel calm and focused. It helps us to focus and calm our nervous system and is used by lots of people – from young children in school to soldiers in combat.
You can practice it by sitting down comfortably somewhere you feel safe. Some people choose to draw the square in the air with their fingers and others imagine they are doing it – it’s up to you.
Maybe try both so once you get the hang of it, you can do it anywhere – while walking, quietly when you’re with other people, when you’re alone, or when you’re at school, college or work. It’s quick to learn and it really works!
What you’ll do
- Find a place at school, in your home or an outdoor space where you feel safe.Sit down on a comfortable chair or on the floor on a cushion.
2. Lift your arm and get ready to use your forefinger (the one you would point with) to draw an imaginary square in the air, slowly.
3. As you move along one side of the square, breathe in and count four seconds in your mind.
4. As you move up the next side of the box with your finger, hold your breath for four seconds.
5. Then on the next side, breathe out for four seconds.
6. Finally, as you move along the final side of the square with your finger, hold your breath again for four seconds.
7. Keep going around this square, either using your finger or just imagining the box, for as long as it feels helpful.
You could also try…
Using this helpful video to guide you through the ‘Box Breathing’ exercise.
Summer mindful colouring page
Click here to download your free summer mindful colouring page.
