Pizza breathing for a calm mind
Monkey Mind is a state of having your thoughts racing – it’s brought on by anxiety or stress. It’s like having a wild monkey in your mind that’s jumping around and swinging from tree to tree.
Monkey Mind can be distracting and make us irritable or anxious. This breathing exercise is a great solution for children who want a discreet way to deal with their stress.
Think of a time when you have noticed your thoughts racing through your mind or your heart beating fast. Have you ever had too many thoughts or too many worries at the same time. This your body sending you a warning that you may be reacting to stress.
One way to tame your Monkey Mind is to use a special way of breathing called “pizza breathing.” Pizza breathing helps us lower our heart rate and fill our monkeys belly until he falls asleep.
- Imagine breathing around a pizza slice. Start at the tip of the pizza and breathe up the right hand side of the crust by inhaling for four counts—one, two, three and four.
- Now hold your breath along the top of the crust while you count—one, two, three, four.
- Next exhale down the left side of the pizza slice while you count—one, two, three and four.
- Continue pizza breathing until you notice your thoughts becoming more still as the monkey chomps away at the pizza slice. Sit for a moment quietly and enjoy the effects.
