Stop and Smell the Flowers -- A Breathing Exercise for Kids

Life is busy - when was the last time you stopped and smelled the flowers with your child? You are probably wondering what this has to do with yoga...more than you can imagine. One benefit of practicing yoga (both for adults and kids) is the opportunity to stop and take time for yourself. Smelling flowers is one fun way to help your child learn to become aware of their breath.

All you need is a flower -- either a real flower or a silk flower will work for this exercise. 

Real Flowers:
Spring is a great time to do this exercise with real flowers. You can get a bouquet at the store, or find flowers at the park or in your own garden. Better yet - you could head over to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April where you will find rows and rows of beautiful tulips and daffodils to smell! 

If the flower is cut, have your child hold it in their hands and ask them to "smell the flower". Once they do, mention the word "inhale" and "breathe in" as they're smelling it so they equate the action of smelling something with inhaling and breathing in.

Then have them blow air through their mouth by encouraging them to "blow on the petals and make them move" and mention the words "exhale" and "breathe out" as they do. You can do the same with planted flowers, but they'll have to bend down to do so. Show them by doing it yourself.

Silk Flowers:
If you're using a silk flower, you may wish to put a drop of essential oil (lavender is a great one) in the middle of the flower so it has a nice scent (of course, be sure to use a scent that they're not allergic to and note that if the child is taking any homeopathic remedy, they should stay away from strong scents as they will get in the way of their treatment).

Have your child hold the silk flower in their hands and ask them to "smell the flower". Once they do, mention the word "inhale" and "breathe in" as they're smelling it so they equate the action of smelling something with inhaling and breathing in.

Then have them blow air through their mouth by encouraging them to "blow on the petals and make them move" and mention the words "exhale" and "breathe out" as they do.

Other Scents:
You can also use other scents to help them learn to "inhale," All you need in some kind of container with holes at the top. You can use empty, clean salt and pepper shakers, or even a paper cup covered with a paper towel. Punch a few holes in the paper towel and secure it to the cup with a rubber band.

Place items with strong, pleasant scents inside the containers. Orange rinds or cinnamon powder are two items that work well for this exercise. Have the child close their eyes and have them "smell" the shakers and mention "inhale". Then see if they can tell you what they smell.

Eventually they will be able to "inhale" and "exhale" without a flower or shaker and will learn to use that skill to give themselve a way to cope in stressful situations. With a little reminder from you, your child can "breathe" through a tantrum and help themselves calm down and move on. It's a wonderful skill which will serve them their entire life!