Unit 2

Yoga and breathing

Try five easy yoga poses and a slow breath that helps you feel calm when you are worried or wriggly.

1. Read

   Breathe, stretch, feel calm

   Meera had a school show the next morning. At bedtime her tummy felt fluttery and her thoughts would not stop jumping.

   "Try a breath with me," said her nani. "Slowly in through your nose... and slowly out."

   After five slow breaths, Meera's tummy felt softer. Her shoulders came down from her ears. She was still excited, but she felt calm too.

   

   Your breath is a calm button

   You breathe all day without thinking. But you can also choose to breathe slowly, and that can change how your body feels. When you are worried or cross, your breath goes quick and short. When you breathe slowly, your body gets the message that it can relax.

   Here is a slow breath to try:

   1. Sit or stand comfortably. Put one hand on your tummy.
   2. Breathe in through your nose and count 1, 2, 3, 4. Feel your tummy grow like a balloon.
   3. Breathe out slowly through your mouth and count 1, 2, 3, 4. Feel the balloon get smaller.
   4. Do it five times.

   Try it: How do you feel before the five breaths? How do you feel after? Is it the same or different?

   Use slow breathing when you feel worried, wriggly, cross, or can't fall asleep. It won't make every feeling disappear, but it can help your body settle so you can think.

   Yoga: poses called asanas

   Yoga began in India a very long time ago. A yoga pose is called an asana. Many have names of things in nature. You hold each pose and breathe slowly while you do. Here are five easy ones.

   

   Pose	Sanskrit name	How to do it
   Mountain	Tadasana	Stand tall, feet together, arms by your sides. Feel strong and still.
   Tree	Vrikshasana	Stand on one foot. Rest the other foot on your ankle or calf, never on your knee. Put your hands together.
   Cobra	Bhujangasana	Lie on your tummy, hands under your shoulders. Gently lift your chest and look forward.
   Child's pose	Balasana	Kneel, sit back on your heels, then fold forward and rest your forehead on the floor.
   Butterfly	Baddha Konasana	Sit with the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open. Flap gently if you like.

   Hold each pose for five slow breaths. Never push or pull your body into a pose. Yoga is not a contest. If your tree wobbles, that's fine; it's a tree in the wind.

   Listen to your body

   Stretch only as far as feels comfortable. If something hurts, stop. Move on a soft mat or rug, not a slippery floor.

   For the grown-up helping

   Practise together, a few minutes a day or when a big feeling arrives. Model the breathing yourself; children copy what they see. Keep it playful (balloon tummy, wind in the tree) rather than strict, and never force a pose. Slow breathing is a normal calming skill, not a treatment: if a child is often very anxious, has trouble breathing, or has an injury or health condition, ask a doctor what is suitable.

2. Lab

   The breathing circle

   Choose how you feel, take five slow breaths by following the circle, then choose how you feel again. Sit together if you can.

   Your goals

   • Say how you feel before you start.
   • Follow the circle for five slow breaths, in for 4 and out for 4.
   • Say how you feel after, and notice if it changed.

   🔒 The interactive lab opens once you register. Register to do this.

3. Activity

   Five poses, five breaths

   Your child tries five simple yoga poses, holding each for five slow breaths, and ends with calm breathing. About 15 minutes. Do the poses along with your child.

   You'll need

   • A mat, rug or folded blanket on a non-slip floor
   • Loose, comfortable clothes

   Steps

   1. Sit comfortably and take three slow belly breaths together: in for 4, out for 4, with a hand on the tummy.
   2. Mountain (Tadasana): stand tall with feet together and arms by your sides. Hold for five slow breaths.
   3. Tree (Vrikshasana): stand on one foot, rest the other foot on the ankle or calf (not the knee) and put hands together. Hold for five breaths, then switch feet. Wobbling is fine; stand near a wall if you like.
   4. Cobra (Bhujangasana): lie on your tummy with hands under your shoulders. Gently lift your chest, keep your feet on the floor and look forward. Hold for five breaths, then lower slowly.
   5. Child's pose (Balasana): kneel, sit back on your heels and fold forward. Rest your forehead on the floor and your arms by your sides or in front. Hold for five breaths.
   6. Butterfly (Baddha Konasana): sit with the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open. Hold for five breaths.
   7. Finish by lying or sitting still and taking five slow breaths. Ask: how does your body feel now compared with the start?

   Safety

   • Never push, pull or press a child into a pose. Stop if anything hurts, pinches or feels dizzy.
   • Tree foot goes on the ankle or calf, never on the knee.
   • Use a mat or rug, not a slippery or hard floor. Clear the space of furniture and toys.
   • Skip any pose that does not suit a child's injury or health condition; ask a doctor if unsure.
   • Breathe slowly and gently, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Never hold the breath or force it.

   🔒 Keeping a log of the activity is for registered learners. Register to do this.

4. Quick check

   Yoga and breathing check

   Six questions about yoga and breathing.

   1. 1.Which yoga pose is this?

      
      • Mountain
      • Cobra
      • Tree

      Choose one

   2. 2.Which face looks more like someone who has just taken five slow, deep breaths?

      
      • The worried face
      • The calm face

      Choose one

   3. 3.How many slow breaths do you hold each pose for in this unit?

      Answer with a number

   4. 4.Match each pose to what you do.

      • Mountain
      • Cobra
      • Butterfly

      Match each to: Sit with the soles of your feet together and knees open · Stand tall and still with arms by your sides · Lie on your tummy and gently lift your chest

   5. 5.In tree pose, where should the lifted foot rest?

      • On the side of the knee
      • On the ankle or calf
      • On the floor next to the other foot

      Choose one

   6. 6.When could slow breathing help? Pick all that fit.

      • When you feel worried before a show
      • When you can't fall asleep
      • When you feel cross and want to calm down
      • When you have a bad injury, instead of telling a grown-up

      Choose all that apply

   🔒 Answering and checking are for registered learners. Register to do this.

5. Quick check

   New puzzles

   Use what you know about breath and yoga in new places.

   1. 1.Dev's tree pose keeps wobbling and he feels cross. What is the best idea?

      • Stop and say he is bad at yoga
      • Breathe slowly, stand near a wall, and try again; wobbling is fine
      • Push his foot hard against his knee to stay still

      Choose one

   2. 2.Nia holds mountain, tree and butterfly for 5 slow breaths each. How many slow breaths is that in all?

      Answer with a number

   3. 3.Ali is scared by thunder and his breathing is quick and short. What could help his body feel calmer?

      • Breathe even faster
      • Breathe in slowly for 4 and out slowly for 4, a few times
      • Hold his breath as long as he can

      Choose one

   4. 4.Priya feels a sharp pain in her back in cobra pose. What should she do?

      • Push harder, because yoga is hard
      • Stop, come out of the pose, and tell a grown-up
      • Hold the pose for ten more breaths

      Choose one

   5. 5.A slow breath is 4 counts in and 4 counts out. How many counts is one breath in all?

      Answer with a number

   🔒 Answering and checking are for registered learners. Register to do this.

6. Activity

   Tell it back

   Your child explains, in their own words, how breathing can change how their body feels. Three minutes.

   Steps

   1. Ask "What do you do to take a slow breath?" Let your child show you, then try it together.
   2. Ask "How does your body feel when you are worried or cross? And after slow breaths?"
   3. Ask "When could you use slow breathing?" Wait for their ideas before giving yours.
   4. Write down what your child says, in their words.

   🔒 Keeping a log of the activity is for registered learners. Register to do this.