BREATHE: A Hands-On Emotional Regulation Workshop
BREATHE is a practical, child-centred emotional regulation workshop designed to help participants understand their bodies, calm their nervous systems, and respond to big feelings with confidence and care. Rather than “fixing behaviour,” BREATHE equips children, teens (and even adults) with lifelong self-regulation skills — the emotional vitamins they need for everyday life.
What Makes BREATHE Different
BREATHE is not a lecture.
It is not a worksheet-based session.
And it is not about telling people to “calm down.”
This workshop is designed to teach breathing as a skill, not a suggestion.
BREATHE is:
Face-to-face and experiential, not passive
Demonstration-based, so participants can see and feel what works
Grounded in the body, not just words or theory
Designed for real people, real emotions, and everyday situations
Participants don’t just learn about breathing —
they experience the difference in their bodies, which makes the skill easier to understand, remember, and use.
Why this works
When breathing is taught through experience rather than instruction, it becomes a practical, accessible tool for regulation — not something people are told to do, but something they know how to use.
What BREATHE Covers
Through guided demonstrations and simple, engaging activities, participants will learn:
What actually happens in the body during stress and overwhelm
Why some breathing techniques help — and others don’t
How to recognise shallow, dysregulated breathing patterns
How to practise slow, intentional breathing that supports regulation
How to use breathing as a daily emotional regulation tool, not just in crisis.
Who BREATHE Is For
This workshop can be delivered for:
Children (age-appropriate, play-based delivery)
Parents and caregivers
Teachers and school staff
Youth workers and professionals
Adults and seniors
Content is adapted to suit the audience, while keeping the core principles consistent.
How BREATHE is delivered
BREATHE is delivered in person through guided demonstrations and simple, engaging activities.
Sessions are interactive, trauma-informed, and paced gently, allowing participants to practise breathing in a way that feels safe and accessible.
The approach is inclusive, age-appropriate, and responsive to the needs of each group.
Why Breathing Matters (Especially for Children)
Children are often told to regulate emotions without being taught how.
Breathing is one of the first self-regulation tools children can learn —
when it is taught clearly, gently, and consistently.
This workshop supports:
Emotional literacy
Body awareness
Self-regulation skills
Confidence in managing big emotions
It aligns with a prevention-over-repair approach to mental health —
building skills early, before overwhelm becomes distress.
Why BREATHE Works
BREATHE works because it aligns with how the nervous system actually learns to regulate.
Rather than relying on instruction or compliance, the workshop supports internal awareness — helping participants notice changes in their breathing, body tension, and emotional state in real time.
This approach is especially important for children, who learn best through experience and repetition rather than explanation alone. When adults and children practise the same regulation tools, breathing becomes a shared, consistent language of calm.
In faith-based settings, breathing can also be framed as a reminder of God’s nearness — reinforcing safety, presence, and care in moments of overwhelm.
What You Take Away
By the end of BREATHE, you leave with:
A clearer understanding of their emotions
At least one breathing or calming strategy they can use independently
Language to describe how they feel
Increased confidence in managing emotional moments
Parents and caregivers gain insight into how to reinforce these skills at home.
