Inhale, Exhale
By Jeffrey Crupi

Are your students wound up from what happened during last period or in the hallway? When children are restless and need to settle down, yoga breathing and stretching techniques can be a quick and efficient way to restore order in your classroom.

All the exercises listed below can be done sitting cross-legged on the floor or on a small exercise mat or carpet square.

• Belly Breathing – While sitting up tall, place a hand over your stomach and ask your students to do the same. Next, everyone inhales so that their bellies expand (you'll see the hand on your stomach moving outward). Exhale slowly, drawing your navel closer to your spine. Repeat for 10 breaths.

  While your students inhale, encourage them to envision inhaling all the attributes that they wish to obtain – strength, intelligence, kindness, etc. When the kids exhale, they can let go of/exhale all the negativity in their lives: bullies, worries, anxieties, etc.

• Energizing Breaths – The key to energizing breaths is to take large belly breaths and exhale the air rapidly through your nostrils. By exhaling rapidly, students are removing stale air from their bodies, thus encouraging them to feel more relaxed and focused.

• Stick and Ball – First, students can form their bodies into the shape of a stick by laying flat on their backs and extending their arms above their heads. They should inhale while making this stick shape with their bodies. Next, while continuing to lie down, kids can form their bodies into the shape of a ball by drawing their knees to their chest and wrapping their arms around their knees. Everyone exhales while making the ball shape with their bodies.

• Sprouting Seeds – Students kneel on the floor, the backs of their thighs on their calves, and curl the rest of their body into their knees (everyone's face should be down, looking at the floor, and their bodies should be small like a seed). Guide your students to inhale and imagine that his or her "seed" has started to grow. The kids can slowly straighten their bodies upwards and reach their hands to the sky. Everyone should get a good, deep stretch and then slowly exhale and curl back to their "seed" position. Repeat three to five times.

Children can relax and be ready to learn after completing some yoga stretching and breathing exercises. Just a few minutes of yoga in the morning, between classes or in the afternoon can certainly help to create a calmer and more tranquil classroom environment.

Jeffrey Crupi is the owner of Peak Fitness Gym in Westport, CT. He is a certified fitness specialist with a degree from Marymount Manhattan College.

November/December 2005, Vol.36, No.3