The power of breathing

Olia | Jul 19, 2024Aug 15, 2024

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• discuss stress-relief ideas;
• watch a video about a relaxation technique;
• practise phrases to talk about relaxation techniques.

In this lesson, students discuss breathing techniques and their effectiveness. They talk about stressful situations at work, watch a video on the box breathing relaxation technique and give their opinions on breathing exercises. Students also explore phrases to talk about relaxation techniques (e.g. feel anxious, notice how I feel, pay attention to, etc.) and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different stress-relief strategies.

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This lesson starts with a warm-up where students read sentences about breathing exercises and choose the correct word to complete them (e.g. Take the deepest breathe/breath you’ve taken all day.). Then, they say if they do any of those exercises and give some details. After that, students look at stressful work situations and imagine what first reaction they or other people usually have. They also say if they think breathing exercises could help in these situations. Afterwards, students read sentences about breathing techniques and their effectiveness and decide if they are true or false. Next, they look at the picture of the box breathing exercise and say how they think it might work. Following that, they watch a video on the topic, check their ideas and give some details about the technique. Then, students work in pairs and take turns guiding each other through the box breathing exercise. After that, they share how it made them feel.

VOCABULARY AND DISCUSSION

At this point in the lesson, students talk about relaxation techniques and discuss questions about the effectiveness of breathing exercises. Then, they choose the correct phrases to complete sentences about personal stress-relief techniques (e.g. One thing that best releases stress/relives stress and makes me happier is asking someone for a hug.). After that, students look at the sentences again and discuss whether they think some of the tips are effective. Next, students think of their own ideas to replace the tips they discussed. Finally, students look at relaxation ideas (e.g. self-massage, puppy room, aromatherapy, etc.) and come up with one advantage and one disadvantage of each. They give details and use the target phrases from the lesson.  

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students read a situation and write a message to their colleagues to promote stress-reduction strategies in the workplace. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan. 

WORKSHEETS

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