Breath is the giver of life; however, it is so regular and routine that the mind finds it boring. Regardless of how uninteresting the word breath can be, breathing is full of mysteries. The powerful effects of breath on the mind and body are almost indescribable by science. Nevertheless, this article will describe why parents and teachers should teach children the powers of the proper breathing technique for each phase of life!
Firstly, let us look at the gas exchange and how the lungs, diaphragm, Depth and length work together. For that, we must dive deep into the respiratory system that participates in many critical physiological processes like acid-base regulation, immune function, temperature regulation, metabolic function and more (Mulroney et al., 2016). The lungs volume is an important measurement that allows the understanding of how Depth and length allow gas exchange to be improved.
According to Mulroney et al. (2016), these are the four volumes that science uses as a guide:
– Tidal Volume (Vt): how much we inhale and exhale. Usually around 500 ml in a resting state (adult)
– Residual volume (RV): how much air stays in after exhale.
– Expiratory reserve volume (ERV): how much can we exhale after a normal one? The leftover that we can exhale.
– Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV): how much can we inhale after a normal one?
The list below is related to four lungs function:
– Total lung capacity (TLC): how much gas can we hold in after a mighty inhalation?
– Vital capacity (VC): how much can we exhale after the mighty inhalation?
– Functional residual capacity (FRC): the excess gas after a normal exhalation.
– Inspiratory capacity (IC): how much can we inhale in normal breathing after the quiet exhalation?
Regardless of all the boring names above, the essential lesson is that a deep and slow breath gives us more gas exchange. The secret of health (because breathing = life) is that the system works best with a slower and deeper resting breath.
Another necessary process to add to the mix is the voluntary Depth and length breathing rhythm involving higher brain areas, the limbic system, and the hypothalamus (Martini, 2018). Highlight that the essential brain part called the hypothalamus orchestrates indispensable parts of the autonomic nervous system, meaning that we control the mind through the breath. My very respected Yoga teacher Raj Pandey always says the mind is the body’s boss, but the BREATH is the boss of the mind. Now we know why!
Breath is intrinsically connected to how we feel due to the physiological response of stress or other emotions. Mind and body are inherently connected. There is no separation, and science knows that. There is a cascade of processes triggered by sensed stress, and it is incredibly complex as stress can be perceived as healthy or chronic. This article will focus on the “I want the candy, but I cannot have it” kind of stress and the ones that make us move forward and hold life by the horn! However, instead of just focusing on stress and how to manage it, we will focus on enhancing the body’s physiological responses that provide a better platform for mind and body health, which starts with healthy breathing!
Secondly, it is paramount to talk about the focus and concentration that comes with age and brain development. When we ask children to focus on their breath and concentrate for as long as possible, we give their brains a chance to start the conscious process of mind and body control. In the same way, we teach children phonics, we need to teach children breath awareness phonics, and in the same way, we do not expect children to read Shakespeare by the age of five. We do not expect children to control themselves through breathwork by six.
However, we MUST expose them to the phonics of breathing.
Here are the four basic principles of breathing that children should be exposed to:
– Depth: how deep can we breathe
– Length: how long can we inhale and exhale
– Body position: what is the best position for a deep breath
– Emotional awareness:
- Can I feel relaxed breathing deeply?
- Can I feel alert by breathing faster after exercise?
The Principles
The first principle, Depth.
This is related to lung volume and is connected to gas exchange and blood flow, which is therefore linked to mind and body health. Small children breathe deeply naturally (most of them, at least), but that does not mean that will not change in the future. Around seven years old, children might start having difficulty using the diaphragm to breathe, resulting in shallow chest breathing (the Baddie of the breathing patterns). This is why we focus on belly breathing, which is a guilty description within the anatomical crime division. However, it helps children to understand that belly movement, when it happens naturally (because children can force the muscles and not breathe), is the right path.
The second principle is Length.
Slow breath activates the clever and feel-good areas in the brain. (dorsal pons, periaqueductal grey matter, cerebellum, hypothalamus, thalamus and lateral and anterior insular cortices. Blocks of hypoxia-activated mid pons, bilateral amygdalae, anterior insular and occipitotemporal cortices (Critchley et al., 2015)). It is crucial to highlight that only this straightforward technique of slowing down the breath has such a tremendous effect! Just imagine that children can learn how to control their brain activity and see the world in a calm and centred manner, making decisions more accessible and clearer. We will have world peace!
The third principle is body position.
This sounds simple, but it is a monumental challenge to the sitting in the terrible postures society we live in! Lin et al. (2006) explain that studies showed that lung performance and posture have a high correlation. We cannot deep breathe if the lungs do not have where to expand. This is one of the main reasons to sit up tall so the lungs can do their magic. Children must learn about pelvis tilt, sitting bones awareness and vertebra stacking to sit in a healthy breathing posture.
Lastly, the fourth principle is emotional awareness.
Mind and body cannot be separated, and teaching children how to perceive both states in unison will help them immensely. Doll et al. (2015) studied mindful breathing and its relation to brain activity, showing that attention-to-breath increased prefrontal and amygdala integration. This simple activity helps with emotional regulation as the frontal cortex is responsible for executive functioning. The four principle shows the importance that early interventions that teach breath awareness can enhance brain development and give children a healthy start in mind control.
Yoga offers several interesting breath practices that can be done with children; regardless of the technique, children need to be taught these four principles to pave the way for self-understanding.
Answering the question, do children benefit from learning Yoga breathing control techniques? Yes, children benefit immensely from learning to deepen and lengthen their breath. Those two processes allow access to deeper survival parts of the brain connecting it to the higher systems responsible for executive functioning.
One important point to highlight is that those techniques are not to be used to respond to social injustice. Anxiety and depression, or other psychological problems, are correlated with social and economic opportunities. Mindfulness and Yoga tools are powerful to balance the individual so she or he can see the situation more clearly than with the tunnel vision caused by stress. However, I am not advocating putting the responsibility solely on the individual. The mental health crisis epidemic is not an isolated problem. However, it is necessary to empower the individual with tools that will clear their minds so they can plan their tomorrow based on factual and realistic actions, not mystical and self-loathing ideas.
If you are interested in accessing fun and effective Yoga and Mindfulness techniques for children aged three to seven, please have a look at our YouTube channel (click here), and in case you would like to go deeper and lengthier, consider purchasing our The Toolboxes – Foundational skills for Kids in Yoga and Mindfulness (click here)
Reference
Critchley, H. D., Nicotra, A., Chiesa, P. A., Nagai, Y., Gray, M. A., Minati, L., & Bernardi, L. (2015). Slow breathing and hypoxic challenge: cardiorespiratory consequences and their central neural substrates. PloS One, 10(5), e0127082–e0127082. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127082
Critchley, H. D., Nicotra, A., Chiesa, P. A., Nagai, Y., Gray, M. A., Minati, L., & Bernardi, L. (2015). Slow breathing and hypoxic challenge: cardiorespiratory consequences and their central neural substrates. PloS One, 10(5), e0127082–e0127082. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127082
Doll, A., Hölzel, B. K., Mulej Bratec, S., Boucard, C. C., Xie, X., Wohlschläger, A. M., & Sorg, C. (2016). Mindful attention to breath regulates emotions via increased amygdala–prefrontal cortex connectivity. NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.), 134, 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.041
Lin, F., Parthasarathy, S., Taylor, S. J., Pucci, D., Hendrix, R. W., & Makhsous, M. (2006). Effect of Different Sitting Postures on Lung Capacity, Expiratory Flow, and Lumbar Lordosis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 87(4), 504–509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2005.11.031
Martini, F. (2018). Fundamentals of anatomy & physiology / Frederic H. Martini, Judi L. Nath, Edwin F. Bartholomew [and seven others]. (Eleventh, Global edition.). Pearson.
Mulroney, S., Myers, A., Netter, & Netter, Frank H. (2016). Netter’s essential physiology / Susan E. Mulroney and Adam K. Myers ; illustrations by Frank H. Netter ; contributing illustrators, Carlos A.G. Machado, John A. Craig, James A. Perkins, Tiffany Slaybaugh DaVanzo. (Second edition.). Elsevier.