Catching Your Breath

Try taking 3 slightly deeper breaths than normal right now, before you read on.

Feel the rise and fall in your chest or abdomen.

Starting in a new school, stepping into new routines, or meeting new colleagues and students can activate our nervous system. Even the most confident teachers feel it. That tightness in the chest, the quicker heartbeat, the sense that everything is happening just a little too fast – it’s your body’s way of trying to keep you safe. The good news is that we have a built-in reset button, and it’s available to us at any moment.

Why breathwork is an essential component of self-leadership

I will never forget the breathlessness I felt in my first year of teaching. I couldn’t understand it at the time as I was trained in acting with a Drama and English degree. I knew how to manage my breath in order to project my voice on stage! What I didn’t realise is the impact that anxiety would have on me in the classroom. At times I would sometimes find myself gasping for air, at other times I would find myself sighing deeply. I struggled to project my voice adequately when I feared I might be losing control of the class, and yet I had been able to perform in front of large audiences on a stage…

In those first years of teaching, your system is taking in so much. New expectations. New faces. New rhythms. It’s exciting—and it can be overstimulating. Breathwork is one of the most effective ways to help you regulate your nervous system, which is essential for:

• steadying your presence in the classroom
  
• supporting your confidence when you feel unsure
  
• lowering stress in real time
  
• increasing clarity so you can respond instead of react
  
  

I think of it as your anchor. When everything around you feels new, your breath keeps you connected to yourself. It gives you a firm ground on which to stand.

Check in with your breath right now. Notice the quality of your breath, the pace, how shallow or how deep? Start noticing how your breath influences your state.. 

Because self-leadership starts with self-regulation.

To change the state of things, we must change our state

Great teaching is not just about what we know—it’s about the state we’re in. When we feel calm, grounded, and centred, we teach from a place of strength. And students feel that immediately. Your breath is the quickest way to shift your state and step back into leadership, even on those days when you feel wobbly or stretched thin.

Your ability to regulate yourself is part of how you lead. It gives you presence. It supports your boundaries. It helps you stay warm without losing authority. And importantly, it’s a skill you can keep developing.

What do you need? This is such an important question to ask yourself throughout your teaching career! For now though, my direct question to you is; what would be helpful for you as a breathing resource? Would you prefer audio files or video? Your needs matter. Let me know your thoughts using this link.

This space will continue to be a place where I share the tools that help you show up with clarity, confidence, and humanity. You deserve to feel supported as you settle into this new chapter.

So here’s your takeaway for today: Your breath is your power. Use it.

How do you regulate yourself? What works for you? Do you ever have a go at breathing exercises to help steady you in the face of challenge?

I’d love to hear from you with your thoughts around what you need so that I can support your wellbeing as you embark on your teaching journey! Drop me a note here.