By Sue Heron Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
In this blog I describe a Baby Bumpkin Yoga activity and outline some of the benefits for both you and your baby so you can enjoy doing the activity at home
Please remember though, for you and your baby to gain the full benefit of all the Baby Bumpkin Yoga and multi-sensory activities, find out about your local Baby Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html.
Our qualified Baby Bumpkin Teachers are fully trained in aspects of baby development and Baby Yoga and are kept fully up-to-date by our professional team of paediatric physiotherapists, Yoga teachers and musicians.
Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career, which gives you:
- The opportunity to work with kids
- A great sense of job satisfaction and
- Flexible working to fit around your own family?
In which case - find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html.
The Baby Bumpkin Multisensory Yoga Adventure..
If you are attending Baby Bumpkin classes with your baby this week, the Baby Bumpkin adventure will give your baby the chance to:
- Progress their early physical skills as they kick out with their legs and activate their hip muscles in Frog pose.
- Enjoy a ‘rich sensory experience’ as they investigate and play with natural grasses and reeds of different textures.
- Socialise with other babies and develop their early communication skills, whilst playing on their tummies round the duck pond!
Because each Baby Bumpkin adventure is carefully linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) the sessions not only enhance your baby’s physical skills they also develop your baby’s early communication, social and thinking skills.
Baby Bumpkin’s Abdominal Breathing Activity for You and Your Baby
This week the Baby Bumpkin Yoga Activity is ‘abdominal’ or ‘tummy’ breathing, a great way to use your breath to calm yourself and your baby.
Abdominal Breathing for You
What is Abdominal Breathing?
- This method of breathing is also called ‘tummy’ or ‘diaphragmatic’ breathing.
- The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of our lungs. It largely separates our ‘chest’ and ‘tummy’ cavities.
- Although we use our diaphragm muscle to breathe all the time, not just when we are ‘abdominal breathing’, we often do not use it as efficiently as we could.
- By concentrating on moving our tummy whilst we are breathing you will be using your diaphragm muscles more effectively.Your baby will naturally use their tummy to help their breathing however as adults we find it harder to do!
How to do Abdominal Breathing
- As with any new exercise practice makes perfect! So try to do this exercise twice a day for short periods (with or without your child). Then you can use the technique to calm your mind whenever you find your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts or when you are experiencing pain.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that your diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of your lungs.
- After breathing out (exhaling) through your mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose imagining that you are sucking in all the air in the room and hold it for about 5-7 seconds (or as long as you are able, but do exceed 7 seconds)
- Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8 seconds (or as long as you are able). As all you release the air form your lungs, gently tighten your tummy (abdominal) muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from your lungs.
- It is important to remember that to take a deep breath we need to not only focus on breathing in, but also on making sure that we have breathed out fully.
- Repeat the ‘cycle’ 3 – 4 times.
Abdominal Breathing with your Baby
- Find a comfortable place to either sit or lie down, making sure your back is well supported. If you are lying down you might find it more comfortable to bend your knees up a little and place a small pillow underneath.
- If you are sitting, shrug your shoulders up and then roll them down and back, this helps you to ‘open up your chest’ and release any tension held in your shoulders.
- Settle your baby either on your lap or your tummy.
- Take a slow breath in through your nose and let your tummy move outwards or upwards towards your baby.
- Then slowly breathe out, either through your nose or mouth, feeling your tummy move back and inwards towards the floor.
- Do 4 - 5 deeper breaths in a row, then breathe normally for a few breaths before repeating the deeper breaths.
- Only do 3 - 4 cycles of abdominal breathing at any one time as taking deep breaths for too long can cause dizziness.
Why Abdominal Breathing is Good for Both You and Your Baby
1. To aid relaxation and relieve tension
- Recent research highlights the powerful effect of a baby’s/child’s cry on most adults, regardless of whether the adults look after children or not. Areas in our ‘mid-brains’ (associated with the ‘fight, flight and fright’ response) appear to be quickly activated when we hear a baby crying as opposed to any other man–made sound.
- This research is backed up by other findings which show that adults also have a hormonal response to a crying baby or child i.e.
- Men produce more testosterone – this can lead to increased stress levels. Interestingly, fathers who are more involved with the care of their baby or child seem to produce less testosterone on hearing their cry - this may mean that they are less vulnerable to stress when coping with a crying child.
- Mothers release more cortisol - a hormone associated with the stress response.
- As a result of both these neurological and hormonal responses:
- Our blood pressure and heart rate rise.
- Our breathing becomes shallower and faster.
- Researchers suggest that these changes our body state possibly reflect an increased need for our bodies to be ‘ready for action’ and ‘more alert’ so we can care for our baby or child in ‘distress’.
- However, over time, these responses can lead to an increase in our overall stress levels. In addition, babies and children will often naturally respond to their parent’s and carer’s ‘increased state of alertness’ by becoming more anxious themselves - breathing quicker and perhaps crying more and so the tension builds.
- As you take deeper, slower breaths whilst practicing abdominal breathing you will automatically be slowing your heart rate. This in turn can help you to relax and feel calmer. Allowing yourself a few minutes of relaxation over the course of your day can often give your energy levels a boost.
2. To strengthen the bond between you both
- As you relax with your baby, holding them close, you will be strengthening the bond between you both and building that close parent/child relationship. You and your baby will be bonding in many different ways: by looking at each other, making sounds and listening to each other and even by moving together. But perhaps the most powerful way of bonding is via touch. Quietly sitting or lying close to each other, so you can feel the rhythm of each other’s breathing and the warmth of your bodies. If your baby finds it difficult to settle with you try:
- Being quiet together for just 30 seconds and then gradually building up this time to short periods during the day, 5 minutes or so, as your baby becomes used to being still with you.
- Holding your baby close to you whilst you are standing up: gently swaying side to side or moving round the room. Maybe sing a lullaby or a favourite nursery rhyme to help you both relax! See our blog on ‘Walking with your baby’
Love Baby Bumpkin x
P.S. Inspired by this blog - find your local Baby Bumpkin class at
http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html.
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