By Tami Lysher, Move Into Calm, Studio T Pilates
Breath is More Than Air in and Air Out
Breath is one of the most powerful ways a child’s body and brain stay connected.
Breath is also one of the first things to change when a child has experienced trauma. If you’ve ever noticed a child breathing fast and shallow, holding their breath, or sighing frequently, those patterns aren’t random. They’re often the body’s way of saying: “I don’t feel safe.”
When Trauma Puts the Body on High Alert
When a child experiences something overwhelming — a sudden event, ongoing stress, or a loss — their brain’s survival circuits take over. This is the autonomic nervous system’s way of keeping them alive:
Fight or flight mode (sympathetic activation) speeds up the heart and breathing, preparing the body to run or defend.
Freeze mode (dorsal vagal shutdown) slows everything down, conserving energy until the threat has passed.
In the moment, these responses are protective. However, if the nervous system becomes stuck in survival mode, the child may continue breathing as if they’re in danger — even when they’re safe.
Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation.
How Trauma Changes Breath
Trauma can shift breathing patterns in several ways:
Shallow, rapid breathing in the upper chest signals the body to stay alert.
Tension in the diaphragm makes slow, full breaths difficult.
Reduced CO₂ levels from over-breathing can cause dizziness, foggy thinking, or feelings of panic.
These patterns can make it harder for a child to focus, learn, or regulate emotions — because the brain is still getting the message: “We’re not safe yet.”
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
The Breath: Nervous System Connection
Breath acts like a remote control for the nervous system. When we take slow, steady breaths, we stimulate the vagus nerve, which tells the body it’s okay to shift into the parasympathetic state — also known as “rest-and-digest.”
In children who’ve experienced trauma, the vagus nerve is often under-engaged, which means it’s harder for them to get back to calm once they’re stressed.
Lehrer, P. M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: How and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 756.
Helping a Child Reconnect Through Breath
The good news: Breath patterns can change. The nervous system can relearn safety. Here are some gentle, trauma-sensitive ways to help:
Make it a choice, not a command. Forcing deep breaths can feel threatening to a child who’s been through trauma.
Co-regulate. Breathe slowly alongside them — your calm rhythm can help guide theirs.
Keep it playful. Use Hoberman spheres, bubbles, scarves, or feathers to make breath practice fun and non-threatening.
Ground it in movement. Pair breath with gentle stretches or crossing the midline for a deeper sense of safety and connection.
Desautels, L. (2020). Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline.
Why This Matters
When we support a child’s breath, we’re not just helping them calm down in the moment — we’re teaching their nervous system what safety feels like.
Over time, slow, steady breathing strengthens the body’s ability to self-regulate, focus, and engage with the world from a place of curiosity instead of fear.
That’s the heart of Move Into Calm: using breath, movement, and nervous system integration to help children shift from survival to safety — and from chaos to calm.
You can’t change what a child has been through, but you can help shape how their body remembers it. And often, that begins with a single, gentle breath.