Sharing breathing is a foundation of all communication. This exercise is a great prep game for singing and generally for improvisation work.
It is also good in conflict and communication resolution activities, as well as group and community building.
This is another fairly minimalist activity whose power lies in simplicity. Breathing is a primeval process, mostly unconscious, but we can bring it into our conscious control. Within the safe boundaries of allowing everyone to break away if they have breathing difficulty during the activity, people can have an extraordinary sense of collaboration and connection through simply breathing together. It is because we are sharing a very unique and vital life process!
Stand in a circle.
The exercise proceeds around the circle in sequence and should be done gently (to avoid hyperventiliating!)
The first person breathes in a little and everyone breathes in a little with him/her, following the pace and amount of breath. The second person is tagged with eye contact (or takes over spontaneously) and continues, taking a little more air in. This continues round the circle until the whole group has breathed in together.
It’s a wonderful feeling.
It can then be done with eyes closed.
Variations
– do an in and an out breath together
– do it in pairs
– vary with short and longer breaths.
Take rest between breaths to avoid dizziness. Allow people to drop out if they feel uncomfortable.
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