Bear breath is a great opportunity to practice the commonly known square breathing. Imagine being a hibernating bear and doing this in your cave: take a deep breath counting slowly to three, hold it counting to three, exhale counting to three and hold again counting to three. Repeat visualising that juicy, calm and safe state – maybe even a subtle snore here and there.
.
Tips for parents: the square breath is quite familiar for many children and teens these days so it can be a great opportunity to discuss the importance of a healthy sleeping routine and its impact on health, wellbeing and connection to more subtle positive feelings like joy and love.
.
Tip for therapists: always check in with the client about their perception of bears – this might sound obvious, but many of us assume that an encounter with a bear is quite unlikely but even childhood memories from Zoo visits could be triggering.
