The Power of Breath: Enhancing Student Health and Well-Being With Deep Breathing in Elementary School Classrooms

Abstract

This article describes how the Health Education and Art for Resiliency Teaching (HEART) project facilitated the implementation of deep breathing exercises, led by school nurses, serving rural and vulnerable school-aged children. The project used the Health Equity Framework to enhance the benefits of interventions that provided teachers and students with a practical and effective adjunctive tool to manage anxiety. The breathing techniques were successful in reducing student referrals to the administrative staff and to the school nurse for acting out or feeling ill due to stress-induced anxiety. Students enrolled in grades 3 to 6 learned to differentiate between feelings of stress, nervousness, and illness. The article shares deep breathing tools and emphasizes how school nurses and staff can work together to create a supportive atmosphere that prioritizes mental health and improves the well-being of vulnerable students.