Child Mindful Breathing to help anything
This can be used for anybody, but is specially worded for a younger person. This can be further modified so it can fit the needs of any child. The goal of this step is to introduce mindfulness, that is present moment experiencing by feeling and sensing, accepting what is, in this case specifically the breathing, without using thinking. Applying mindfulness to breathing increases concentration, calm and relaxation and prepares the mind to next deal with the emotional component of any problem, only in the present moment, weakening the feelings associated with it, rather than fueling them with more thinking that brings in distorted past experience and future wishes and fears often more based on fantasy then the reality of the present moments needs.
Step 1. Increasing mind’s power and calm- 4 F’s mindful breathing to help bad feeling, thoughts and body problems.
This is an exercise to make your mind stronger so you can help any bad feelings, thoughts, or body problems like pain, or trouble sleeping, or with your stomach or bowels. This is not like a school test or a game where there is good or bad, or right or wrong, it isn’t like that all , there is no winning or losing, no grades, no judging yourself that you are doing it right or wrong, just, feeling and being with your breathing, becoming aware of your breathing in a new way, paying attention to your breathing in a way that will make your mind calm and your body relaxed, and help you focus or concentrate better and make your mind stronger so you can handle your problems. This will help make a safe place in your mind where you can go when things are not going well for you, and place where you can look at your problems in a new way, but now your mind will be calmer, and stronger, and be able to deal with your problems feelings, making them weaker and weaker, until they go away, or you can handle them better. This breathing will switch your mind from thinking and worrying about what happened yesterday and what might happen tomorrow , to be only in this present moment, just keeping it , in the right now. The more you can keep your mind only in the present , in the right now, the calmer your will be and the stronger and more powerful your mind will be so you can better take care of any problem. How will you do this is by following the steps below, using what I call the 4 F’s, 1. Find your breathing, then 2. Feel and accept each breath , as you breath over and over, 3. Then Follow the breathing as you feel it and your body parts going in and out, and up and down, making this 4. The only thing you Focus on, or keep your mind on, right now in the present, not allowing any thinking from the past or the future, and when that does happen you will just go right back to the present moment and feel, and accept the breathing as you follow it, going in and out, and your body going up and down. Doing this over and over will make your mind stronger, more calm & your body relaxed. This is all we will do for now. Later when your mind is stronger by practicing this you will learn how to handle your problems in a new way, by using the 4 F's with the your problems feelings and associated body sensations. First let's practice mindful breathing.
1) Find your breathing! Where do you feel it the most at your belly, your lungs , at your nose? If you have trouble finding it, put you hand on you belly and feel the air going in and out, making you belly go up and down. Breath over and over getting comfortable with you breathing. Feel your body move with the breathing.
2) Feel your breathing! This is experiencing by not interfering with thinking, with the attitude of allowing& accepting, sensing and feeling. Don’t think about your breathing, don’t try to control it, don’t expect anything special, and you don’t need to do anything special except breath like you usually do, but now you will pay attention to your breathing by feeling the breath going in and out, over an over, again and again.
3) Follow your breathing! Continue to breath over and over, not thinking about or trying to control your breathing, just breath normally, but pay attention to your breathing by feeling and accepting it, over and over. Now try to follow the breathing as you feel it, follow the breathing going in and out, notice your belly and chest go up an down, follow your feelings , follow the movement your breathing makes, in and out, up and down , over and over, again and again. Accept what is happening whether it feels good or bad, allow your feelings to follow the breathing.
4) Focus only on your breathing! Now that you found your breathing, and you feeling and following it as it goes in and out, and you belly and chest goes up and down, you need to make the breathing the only thing in your mind, making it the only thing you focus on, now in the present. Try hard to feel and follow only your breathing, no thinking about anything else, but your breathing right now, in the present moment, just feel the breathing now, not allowing anything from yesterday or for tomorrow to come in your mind.
5) Your mind will wander and be pulled off this present moment, this now focus on the breathing, by anything especially your problems, making you think about them in the past, how they bothered you just a few minutes ago, or yesterday, and worry about them in the future, what they might do to you next, in the next minute, the next hour, or day or tomorrow, this is normal and is to be expected and is part of helping you problems better.
6) Where ever your mind goes, and no matter how many times its get pulled off your present moment focus on the breathing, just return, the best you can, Find, Focus only on Feeling the breathing, Following and accepting it, as it goes in and out, and your belly and chest, goes up and down, over and over, again and again.
7) Do these steps over and over, and your mind will get stronger and calmer, easier to help anything at anytime.