Excerpts from 
                                        
                             Mindful Choices 
              A mindful awareness program for schools 
                       
                     
                    
                     
                   
                   
                  
                  
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                    
                   
                   
                       Elementary School Guide 
                        Daily Breathing Exercises  
                 for Classroom and Personal Practice 
                                       
                                                                   
                   Illustration of  “Mindful Body” 
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                                                 
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
                                                            
                                              Mindful Breathing Basics 
                 
                 
                Practicing mindful breathing for a few minutes every day can strengthen your ability to 
                stay focused as you pay attention to only your breath and let go of your other thoughts. 
                When you let go of your thoughts, your mind and body have an opportunity to eliminate 
                stress and recharge.  
                 
                 
                 
                                                                                                     
                                 Put everything else aside.                                   Set a timer. 
                Take a break from your phone, your work, and your                 Try to do breathing exercises for 
                conversations. Move to a quieter environment if necessary.   2-5 minutes as you’re first 
                                                                                  learning. You may be able to 
                                                                                  increase the time you spend on it 
                                      Get comfortable.                            as you get more experience, but 
                If you are sitting up, your back should be straight but not       keep in mind that short, frequent 
                too stiff. Place your hands palms down on your legs.              sessions are better than long 
                                                                                  sessions that happen rarely.  
                                                                     
                                             Eyes open or closed? It’s your choice. 
                Notice which one makes it easier for you to stay focused. If you keep your eyes open, gently 
                focus on one point (instead of staring). 
                 
                                                                     
                                                  Focus fully on your breathing. 
                Pay attention to your entire breath, from your inhale through your exhale. Use the Lazy 8 and 
                other breathing techniques described on the following pages to help you with taking deep 
                breaths and stay focused. 
                 
                When your thoughts wander, simply pull your focus back to your breathing. It will get easier to 
                sustain your focus as you get more practice. Be kind to yourself as you learn.  
                 
                                                 
                                                                                                                    
                    ~1 minute                                              Mindful Bodies 
                                     
                                    Before every breathing exercise, students should have “mindful bodies.” You will have to 
                                    repeat this description until your students automatically have mindful bodies before 
                  Special Note  completing a mindful breathing exercise. For a visual reference, use the mindful body 
                                    illustration on the front inside cover. Depending on time, you may want to practice only 
                                    mindful bodies the first day.  
                                      
                                                                         Say to the students: 
                                      
                                    Sit comfortably and move to the edge of your seat. Place both your feet flat on the floor. 
                                    Hands should rest on your knees or legs. Your eyes can be closed or looking at a spot on 
                   Description   the floor in front of you. Relax your shoulders. Relax your eyes and eyebrows. Relax your 
                                    jaw. Sit as still and silently as possible.  
                                     
                                     
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   1-2 minutes                                      Mindful Breathing Exercise  
                                                                           Shoulder Rolls 
                                                                         Say to the students: 
                                      
                                    Today’s mindful breathing exercise is shoulder rolls. In this exercise, we will breathe in 
                                    and bring our shoulders up to our ears, as we breathe out we will roll our shoulders back 
                   Description   and down. (Model for students.) 
                                     
                                    We can do shoulder rolls throughout the day to relieve tension. Shoulder rolls also help 
                                    us get comfortable and focused in preparation for any other mindful breathing exercise.  
                                     
                                     
                                    Sit comfortably and move to the edge of your seat. Place both your feet flat on the floor. 
                       Intro        Hands should rest on your knees or legs. Your eyes can be closed or looking at a spot on 
                                    the floor in front of you. Relax your shoulders. Relax your eyes and eyebrows. Relax your 
                                    jaw. Sit as still and silently as possible.  
                                     
                                     
                                    Let’s begin…breathe in and bring your shoulders up to your ears. Breathe out and roll 
                    Exercise        your shoulders back and down.  
                                     
                                    (Repeat 2-3 times.) 
                                     
                                     
                     Closing        Gently blink your eyes open.