Bumblebee breath for anxiety
Kids and adults both get anxious. It's helpful to have some tools in our pockets to help with anxiety and soothe a stimulating mind. This breath is relaxing and fun to do, and is sure to wash away some of your worries. Pranayama, as it's caled (or breathwork) can help a lot in anxiety and calming of the mind. It's something that you can do at any time of the day and is never too late to learn and apply.
HOW TO: While sitting in a calm and comfortable position, imagine that you are a bumblebee. Bumblebees are yellow and black, and ever so furry. They fly around making a beautiful, yet calm and quiet humming sound. Pretend that you are this tiny humming bumblebee flying around peacefully. Inhale deeply and then exhale making a humming sound. Inhale deeply again, and exhale a humming sound, feeling the vibrations of the hum throughout your body. You are the happiest bumblebee in the world.
Now, pretend that you come across some beautiful flowers and you land on one of the flowers to smell it and drink it's nectar. Take a deep breath in and smell the wonderful smell of this beautiful flower. Exhale, making a humming sound again. You are so happy and content. Inhale again, because this flower smells sooooo good. Exhale, making a humming sound again...almost singing. If you want, you can cup the flower in the palms of your hand and smell it one more time. Ahhhh.....it smells so good and makes you feel happy and alive.
Next, you are going to take some of the pollen and nectar back to your hive. You want to share the flower with everyone, and the flower wants you to share it with all your family and friends. Take a sip of the nectar as you inhale (pretend to suck up some nectar) and then rub your hands together to collect some pollen. As you exhale, remember to hum or buzz and say thank you to the flower.
Life is good and you feel relaxed and happy. If you want, you can spread your arms out like wings and fly back to your bee hive to share the goodness that you just discovered. Everyone will thank you.
Variations: Instead of a bumblebee, you could also pretend to make whale sounds and/or songs. If you have actual whale sounds/songs to play as background music, that could also be calming.
Namaste