Buzzing Away Anxiety: How Bhramari Pranayama Can Help Your Child

While we can’t completely rid our lives of anxiety, we can equip our children with effective tools to bring calm and ease into their daily experiences. Anxiety is a growing problem for kids today, and as someone who struggled with it myself as a kid, I understand how overwhelming it can feel.

Thankfully, through years of practice, I’ve found techniques that help me return to a state of balance and quiet the mind chatter during anxious moments. One of the practice I use is Bhramari Pranayama, or Bee Breath, which I’m excited to share with you. now.

Let’s dive into how this simple yet effective technique can help our children manage their anxiety and find their inner calm. 🐝

Practicing Together

I like to start in a comfortable seat with my child, usually on the bed as we like to practice this one at bedtime mostly. From there we prepare to come into stillness, we do this by getting any wiggles out, rolling the shoulders, practicing a few neck rolls and taking any other gentle stretches we need.

Then we start with our bee breath.

Bee Breath or Bhramari, is an inhale in through the nose and then an exhale with the mouth closed and we create this bee like sound, a buzzing kind of hum.

We also practice Pratyahara here which is one of the eight limbs of yoga, often referred to as “withdrawal of the senses.” Essentially, pratyahara is about turning your attention inward, away from the external world, and giving yourself a break from all the distractions that life throws at you. Something that can be very helpful when experiencing anxiety and overwhelm.

We do this by covering our ears and our eyes. You place your thumb over your ears, and your fingers over your face, covering your eyes (which can be closed). If your child does not feel comfortable to do this, they can observe you practicing it that way and just join in with the breathing and the buzzing. Smaller children may even like to make wings by putting their hands on their shoulders.

Bee breath vibrates the pineal gland and produces a calming effect. It is a great practice for bringing both children and adults back into the present moment in a big way. It can feel very grounding and help reduce anxiety and panic. We practice for a few rounds, usually 2 to 5 minutes.

Like with any breathing practice, everyone will react differently. It is important to pay attention to how you feel after and encourage children to check in with how they feel too.

Practicing Bhramari Pranayama / Bee Breath regularly can help you feel more centered and less affected by the chaos around you. It’s a beautiful way to teach children (and remind ourselves) how to find calm for themselves. So next time you or your child feel overwhelmed or anxious, try this simple yet powerful practice.

To dive even deeper into anxiety and the breath check out my upcoming workshop:

This “Anxiety and the Breath” workshop is designed to equip parents and caregivers with essential tools to support their children in managing anxiety through effective breathwork practices.

With stress levels in children at an all-time high, it is crucial now more than ever to provide them with techniques that promote emotional regulation and resilience. This workshop will offer a comprehensive understanding of how breath is intertwined with emotions and anxiety, along with practical pranayama exercises that can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines.

By attending, you’ll not only learn how to reduce your child’s anxiety but also strengthen your bond through shared, calming practices that empower them to face challenges with confidence and peace.

For teachers this workshop is going to help you feel confident about sharing these practices with your students and even running your own workshops about anxiety and the breath.

1. 

   […] body is not separate from the mind or spirit, it’s part of a larger system that includes the koshas…

2. 

   […] both feel when a big emotion comes: “I am feeling overwhelmed right now. I’m going to try bumblebee breath…

3. 

   […] terms of yoga it all comes down to the Kosha System. This is 5 layers of our being that…

4. 

   […] emotions feel overwhelming, simple breathwork—like extending my exhales or practicing Bee Breath (Bhramari)—helps shift my nervous system from fight-or-flight…

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   […] To learn more about the Koshas check out this previous post: What are the Koshas? Understanding these 5 layers…