Tami Peckham

Diaphragmatic Breathing

If you are a parent or teacher and want to teach a child to be more aware of their breathing and use deep diaphragmatic breathing (or "stomach breathing") to relax and calm themselves, simply ask the child to lie down on their back and be still. Then ask "Do you notice any part of your body that is moving?" Have them place one hand on their belly and one on their chest then notice the rise and fall of the belly and chest with each breath. Put your hands on theirs and ask if they can feel their body moving under the hands. Ask them "What part of your body is moving on the inside?" Explain that each time we take a breath in, our diaphragm and then lungs fill up with air and get bigger like when you blow a bubble from small to big. When we breathe out, our diaphragm and then lungs release the air and get smaller again. We can see and feel our diaphragm and lungs get big and then smaller with each breath, because they move the belly and chest up and down.

You can use deep breathing to relax and strengthen your abdominal muscles and diaphragm. Practicing deep breathing will, also, enable you to engage your diaphragm which will enhance ventilation and thus increase the effectiveness of your lungs. And you can improve the range of motion in the joints within the ribcage and spine as the lungs expand with increased capacity. You can accomplish all these things simply by practicing deep diaphragmatic breathing.

When we breathe well, we function well. In fact, when we increase the effectiveness of our diaphragm and lungs, we increase our overall ability to function optimally. Deep diaphragmatic breathing increases oxygen intake which improves circulation and eliminates toxins, calms and relaxes the body, improves concentration and mental clarity, and increases energy levels.

Practicing deep diaphragmatic breathing (or what some people call belly breathing) on a regular basis will not only enable you to use your breath to relax your mind and body, it will condition your respiratory system, enhancing your ability to function optimally when at rest and when performing mild, moderate, or intense physical activity.

Legs Up a Wall Yoga Pose

You can experiment with seeing the world through your upside down eyes (like the girl and boy in the story) by practicing a yoga pose called Legs Up a Wall, which is a modified inversion pose. You can ask your child or student to tell you what their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are prior to practicing the pose and then again following the pose. You can also ask them about a concern or problem they have, and then after the pose ask what new ideas they have about taking care of the problem or issue. This will help increase their awareness of how hanging upside down can help them feel better, and thus see things from a more positive, creative, and empowered perspective.

When we are upside down, we are in a good position to see things from a new perspective both literally and figuratively. The natural relaxation and restoration created when we are in inversion poses like Legs Up a Wall generate a sense of ease and well-being that lends itself to more mental clarity and creativity.

Below are formal instructions for the Legs Up a Wall pose. Given their spontaneous nature, children may want to simply sit on the floor and then lift their legs to the wall, or on a couch or chair. This is fine. The instructions below are offered so that you may tailor them to your needs.

You can practice this pose while lying on the floor with your legs resting on the wall or with your legs resting on a couch, chair, or stool. First find a couple of blankets and fold them lengthwise and stack one on top of the other to create a support for your hips that is about four to six inches thick. You can use a yoga bolster if you have one. Place your support near a wall or in front of the couch lengthwise leaving a gap of four to six inches between the support and the wall. If you are flexible, use a higher support that is closer to the wall. If you are less flexible, the support will need to be lower and farther away from the wall.

Sit on the right end of the support with your right side against the wall. If you are left-handed, you can reverse these instructions. Inhale nice and slowly through your nose. Then exhale, and in one smooth movement swing your legs up onto the wall and allow your shoulders and head to lightly roll down to the floor.

Shift and make adjustments so that your tailbone is gently dipping toward the floor from the edge of the support. You can do this by bending your knees and pressing your feet into the wall, lifting and then slowly lowering your hips. You want the front of your torso gently arching from the lower abdomen to the top of your shoulders. Lift and release the base of your skull away from your neck. Now soften your throat. You may want to place a small rolled up towel under your neck if that is more comfortable for you. Allow your shoulder blades to open and lengthen away from the spine. Place your arms and hands at your side with the palms up.

Stay in the pose for five to fifteen minutes. To come out of the pose, slowly slide off of the support onto the floor, then turn to your right side while bending and lowering your knees. Lower your feet while pushing against the floor with your left hand to slowly raise your torso and head.

Inversion poses are restorative--giving us an easy way to relax our minds and bodies. They ultimately energize us due to the rest provided to the heart and lungs as the pressure on these organs is decreased simply by placing our legs above our head. Inversions place the brain below the heart and gravity then pulls blood into the brain. This provides increased mental clarity as well as helping to reduce the severity of, or eliminate headaches. In inversion poses, the legs and abdomen are above the heart allowing venous blood flow to the heart without the pull of gravity. Inversions can reduce arterial blood pressure and help to reset blood pressure. And our legs get welcome relief from the pooling of blood due to continual standing. When the body is upside down, blood circulates easily around the neck, chest, and head thus stimulating the thyroid and thymus glands.

The many benefits of diaphragmatic breathing and inversion poses are clear. These tools can be instrumental in coping well with stress and change, and becoming truly empowered.

Tami Peckham 604 N. Boulevard Richmond, Virginia 23220

804-230-4335 email: tami@tamipeckham.com