Undoubtedly you’ve seen a child try to lift something that is too heavy for them and they tend to hold their breath. This results in their face becoming so red because they held their breath too long. The same applies to breathing and exercise. Most kids, as well as adults, tend to hold their breath at the wrong time.
Traditionally, using weight training for example, one is supposed to exhale during exertion and inhale on the release. It’s not an easy thing to do, and most kids perform this process the opposite way, as do some adults.
There is one way to correct kids breathing technique before engaging in an exercise routine; that is, 5 to 10 minutes of yoga. Yoga breathing illustrates the proper way to breathe and also allows you to become acutely aware of how you breathe.
For example, a child could be asked to sit on the floor with legs crossed. When asked to breathe in, he is told to look at his stomach and notice how it rises when he breathes in. As he continues to breathe in, his chest will move slightly up as he inhales. Both the abdomen and the chest then return to normal as he slowly exhales.
Once experienced in yoga breathing, anyone can inhale filling the abdomen then the chest; and exhale from the chest and then the abdomen. It takes practice but this is what is known as a deep cleansing breathing.
Once kids understand the process of breathing, they will be able to utilize it in their exercise routine. In addition, kids should not show any strain or become red-faced, as this is a sign they are breathing improperly or holding their breath. This can cause injury during an exercise routine as well.
There are wonderful sites online in which you can print out instructions on teaching yoga and how to breathe properly during exercise. The two go hand in hand. Once kids master the breathing technique during yoga, they will have no problem in executing breathing techniques during exercise.
