Take a Breath

Start with your hands in front of your chest, with fingertips and palms touching. As you breathe in, keep one hand at your chest and slowly send the other one over your head to make a fin. When you breathe out, bring your hands back together. Switch hands on every inhale.

Open your hand in front of you with your fingers spread. Starting with your thumb, slowly trace up and down your fingers. When you trace upward, breathe in. When you trace downward, breathe out.

As you breathe in, squeeze all your face and arm muscles tightly. Lift your shoulders and try to touch your ears. Squeeze your body all the way down to your toes. As you breathe out, release all the tension in your body.

Take three small sniffs in through your nose and let out one long breath through your mouth.

Hold your hands together in front of your chest, matching each finger and your palms. Press your hands together and then start to slowly rub your hands back and forth. Go a little faster, a little faster, and a little faster! When you've reached maximum speed and can feel the heat in your hands, open your arms wide, breathe in, then cross your hands over your chest, breathing out. Let your hands rest on your chest, feeling your heartbeat, as you breathe in and out.

Pretend you're holding a warm mug of hot cocoa with two hands. Smell the yummy drink, breathing in through your nose, then blow out through your mouth to cool it off. Take a sip when you're finished!

Imagine a square in your mind: 4 corners and 4 sides. Start at the top corner of the square. Breathe in for four counts. Hold your breath for four counts. Breathe out for four counts. Hold your breath for four counts. Do four square breaths and see how you feel.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and blow out through your mouth like you're blowing bubbles outside. Blow slowly and carefully. You can even imagine waiting for the bubbles to pop!

As you breathe in, tap your thumb to each of your three fingers. When the thumb connects with your finger, say one word of a phrase. Breathe out and repeat, saying the phrase again to yourself. Try these sayings or create one of your own:

I am calm.

I am kind.

I am safe.

I can try.

Let it go.

Trace the infinity shape in the air with your finger or think about it in your mind. (Remember, infinity looks like a lazy number 8 laying down) When you trace upward, inhale through your nose. When you trace downward, exhale through your nose.

Breathe in deeply through your nose and, as you breath out gently through your mouth, notice the sound of an ocean wave crashing on the shore. You can cover your ears and lean them forward to better hear the ocean. Take a moment to enjoy pretending you're on the beach.

Lay both of your hands on your stomach while you're sitting or lying down. Breathe in and feel your belly fill with air, making your hands rise. Breathe out and feel your hands fall.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and blow the breath out through your mouth, like you're carefully inflating a balloon. You can raise your arms at your sides to over your head when you breath in and lower your arms when you breathe out to make your body feel even more like a balloon.