I arrived at work to find that my most recent Amazon order had arrived! Four HOBERMAN SPHERES were delivered over the weekend and I am very excited to start using them. I am going to be using the Hoberman Sphere as a visual for breathing techniques.
If you are incorporating mindfulness into your school counseling program you already know that breath awareness is essential to focusing on the present. When we pay attention to our breathing, we slow our heart rate and lower our blood pressure. This allows us to think more clearly and we are able to use the thinking part of our brain (prefrontal cortex) to respond to stressful situations in a calm, thoughtful manner.
How I use the sphere: I refer to the sphere as a "breathing ball". I ask students to breathe in deeply from down in their belly (also known as a belly breath if your students use Second Step) and at the same time, slowly expand the sphere. Once the lungs are full of air and the sphere is fully expanded instruct students to hold their breath in their belly for a second and then to slowly close the sphere as they slowly close the sphere. Repeat this 10-15 times.
I ordered the Original Hoberman Sphere but there are smaller spheres available as well.
You can purchase the original size here: Original Hoberman Sphere
You can purchase the smaller sphere here: Mini Hoberman Sphere
There is also a Mega Sphere that would be amazing to have but was out of my budget: Mega Sphere
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