Trainers’ Toolkit – Breathe

	Exercise nr 11: Breathe
Duration	10-15 min
Type of activity	Social / Body / Emotional / Cognitive
The goal of the exercise	Grounding, calming, getting into deeper contact with oneself, preparation for reflection
Group size	1-100+ participants
Hashtags	#guidedmeditation #mindfulness
Materials and tools necessary for the activities	No additional materials are needed.
Exercise agenda	Ask participants to sit down comfortably, as you will guide them through this breathing practice. Encourage them to switch off their cameras to get as comfortable and relaxed as possible. 1st part: Breathing Instruction for participants 1. Slowly inhale and exhale for a few moments. 2. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose to the count of four. In this step, count to four very slowly in your head. Feel the air fill your lungs, one section at a time, until your lungs are complete and the air moves into your abdomen. 3. Slowly exhale: Sitting upright, slowly exhale through your mouth, getting all the oxygen out of your lungs. Focus on this intention and be conscious of what you’re doing. 3. Now, we will add holding of the breath after both inhale and the exhale: Hold your breath for another slow count of four.  4. Exhale again: Exhale through your mouth for the exact slow count of four, expelling the air from your lungs and abdomen. Be conscious of the feeling of the air leaving your lungs. 5. Hold your breath again: Hold your breath for the exact slow count of four before repeating this process. 2nd part: Breath Focus instruction for participants While you do deep breathing, use a picture in your mind and a word or phrase to help you feel more relaxed. 1. Breathe in. As you do that, imagine that the air is filled with a sense of peace and calm. Try to feel it throughout your body. 2. Breathe out. While you’re doing it, imagine that the air leaves with your stress and tension. 3. Now, use a word or phrase with your breath. As you breathe in, say in your mind, “I breathe in peace and calm.” 4. As you breathe out, say in your mind, “I breathe out stress and tension.” Continue for 2 to 4 minutes.
Possible modifications	The exercise is an excellent introduction to connecting with body, grounding and focus. You can add more parts and visualizations to the breathing: filling the body with colors, putting the hand on various body parts, imagining sending the breath to the place, etc.
Credits	Compiled by Fundacja Culture Shock for TRENDSS – Transnational Roadmap for Educators in Digital Soft Skills (https://trendss.eu/)Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Co-founded by the Erasmus+Programme of the European Union