Why the way you breathe changes everything
Most of us never stop to think about how we breathe, yet for children, the way they breathe shapes almost everything. How well they focus in class. How they handle big emotions. How they sleep, how they connect with friends, and how they cope when things feel hard.
Research published in Scientific Reports found that daily breathing exercises improved primary school children's performance in mathematics in a randomised controlled trial, with results that held up five months after the programme ended. A review of 18 studies found that breathwork and mindfulness-based practices had positive effects on cognitive self-regulation in young children, with improvements in attention, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and working memory. Put simply, when children learn to breathe well, they learn better.
Effective breathing and stress management goes beyond relaxation. It enhances focus, concentration, academic performance and social skills, and these are skills children can access anywhere, at any time, for free. Classes with strong self-regulation skills experience less disruption, more cooperation and improved academic outcomes. Children with good self-regulation build stronger friendships, resolve conflicts more effectively and show greater empathy towards others.
The truth is, the majority of children breathe too quickly and too shallowly, keeping their nervous systems in a quiet state of low-level stress without anyone realising it. Dysfunctional breathing is closely linked to anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. But breathing can be retrained at any age, and the earlier we start the better. At School Breathe, we believe every child deserves to understand their own breath, because it is one of the most powerful tools they will ever have.
Use the test above to discover your own breathing rate - and take the first step towards understanding your breath.
If you choose to count for 30 seconds (good for kids!) double the number to discover your breath rate per minute.
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"The 25 hour CPD accredited course, The Fundamentals of Healthy Breathing, was informative, inspiring and transformative for both myself and the children. I loved the way it was presented and so happy to be part of this community".
Karen Barratt, Neuro Physiotherapist, Sussex, United Kingdom
"I've completed the Breath Coach Training and as part of a foundation public school, I’m excited to be at the forefront of innovation in education—embedding wellbeing and emotional learning into our everyday classroom practices."
Emily Lamb, Primary School Teacher and Breath Coach, Sydney, Australia
"I believe every child deserves access to breathwork tools that support emotional wellbeing and self regulation - skills I wish I had learned at school. I'm honoured to bring this work to Malta and be part of the School Breathe Community."
Pavla Borg, Breath Coach and Wellness Professional, Malta