The Breathe Approach Training & Information

27/08/2026

Can we just remember that regulation is a process, not a place.

At this time of year, lots of practitioners and parents are preparing spaces, resources and routines to support children ‘calm’ as they return to school.

And these things can absolutely help.

But the regulation itself is happening inside the child , they have the magic within them, not the corner, room, or tool.

That distinction matters because we want children to gradually recognise that they are developing the ability to regulate, rather than believing that it was the room, the tool or the special space that did it for them.🤷🏼‍♀️

They did it.

Regulation isn’t simply about becoming calm either.
It is about being able to move up and down our energy levels and find the level we need for what is happening.

Sometimes we need to calm our bodies, sometimes we need to wake them up, get moving, focus, engage or find enough energy to manage what is being asked of us.

So perhaps we need to be more thoughtful about the language we use too.

A regulation space can be more useful language than a ‘calm space’, because regulation isn’t always about being calm.

The space can support the process, the resources can support the process, the adults can support the process.

But ultimately, the child is doing the regulating.

And that is something worth helping them recognise.

Because the goal isn’t simply to create somewhere children can go to feel calm.

It is to help them understand themselves well enough to know what they need, and develop the skills to help themselves regulate.

21/08/2026

I am trained in mindfulness, through lots of different training and qualifications over the years.

And I have loved them all.

Different people presenting, different people sitting alongside me, with different approaches and ideas flowing.

And there was always something I loved about the calm in the room. A whole group of adults finding their stillness together.

As a teacher and school leader, I was already supporting children with big emotions and big behaviours every day, so I was constantly thinking about how these approaches could translate into real school life.

Then I tried transferring some of that into a room full of children and teens …
. and it is not the same. Honestly, it is not even slightly the same! 😂

Kids and teens are not necessarily built to lie still for any length of time, and their minds often jumping like a box of frogs, and simply asking them to sit quietly and listen would be a challenge in itself.

So I think differently about what mindfulness can look like for them.

Breathing in lots of different ways, so they can find a style that works for them.
Many neurodivergent period have quite disordered breathing - so things like traditional box breathing may not hit the mark.

Fidget tools, because permission to move actually helps with focus.

Mindful colouring.

Puzzles & Games

Weighted toys and tools.

Bubble blowing.

Sensory ‘find it’ tubes.

And just lots of other ways to bring attention back to the here and now.

I often tell the kids that they can simply choose do something ‘mindfully’, even for just a few minutes.

You can read mindfully.

You can walk mindfully.

You can eat mindfully.

You can even tidy out your sock drawer mindfully. ☺️

And it all counts.

Because mindfulness does not have to mean sitting perfectly still with your eyes closed.

Sometimes it is simply setting the intention to be present and paying attention to what you are doing.

This is a big part of why I created the B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach.

Yes we generally begin with Breathing and Relaxing, but mindfulness is woven throughout the whole B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach.

Building skills around breathing, awareness, focus, self-talk, movement, learning and reflection in ways that are much more suited to a child’s or teenager’s developmental stage.

We just have to stop expecting it to look just like adult mindfulness.

And that is something I explore in my B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach training for anyone wanting to bring practical, engaging emotional wellbeing and mindfulness skills to the children and young people they work with.

If you would love to find out more about The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach training then let’s chat.

Suitable training for all of us raising, caring for, and educating children and young people.

Let’s chat - message or comment and we can set up a time!!

17/08/2026

Back to school, rewards, points and certificates - I’m sure they are back!!

Back to school often brings the return of classroom token systems, points, prizes and things like ‘Star of the Week’ certificates.

Across my years working, leading, and in consultative roles in schools, I’ve challenged the benefits and pointed out the pitfalls of all of these behaviourist-driven systems like these.

The pitfalls are well documented, but these systems are so habitual and entrenched in schools and even in wider society that they continue.

As educators, I think it’s worth asking why we have them, who they actually benefit, and whether they are really doing what we believe they are doing.
They are often closed to be motivational and rewards .. when in fact they are neither of these things.

With knowledge and understanding of how these systems work, we can see they are riddled with pitfalls. We just keep doing them because that’s how it has kalways been’ done.

What can we as parents and carers do at home ? -

As parents and carers, we have much less control over what happens in school, clubs, and other groups, so what can we do?

We can educate our kids on how these systems work -

When they don’t get Star of the Week, remind them that they are still a good person. The classroom isn’t actually a competition.
It is simply that sometimes a teacher has noticed something about one child that week. Teachers are human and simply cannot notice everything.

We as adults know how subjective these things can be. One child is chosen and 29 others might be wondering or worrying why they weren’t.

So every Friday, help your child notice and share the amazing things they did that week, even if nobody else noticed them, they did and now you know - that is enough. Intrinsic reward 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

And if they do get the certificate, yea celebrate with them. It is lovely that their teacher noticed something about them this week - lovely, but not essential.
A reminder that Friday certificates are simply a moment in time, not a reflection of their worth or who they are.

Then we have these … Token economies can be emotionally complicated.

They can involve public shaming, losing access to activities or treats, feeling ‘less than’ when they aren’t measuring up.

And there is another side we don’t talk about nearly enough.

The children who consistently do get the points, prizes, and praise can become reliant on that external validation too.
They can become hypervigilant about getting things ‘right’, worried about losing their position and increasingly perfectionistic.
That can create its own anxiety.

And because these are the children we call ‘good’, the system can look as though it is working.

The child is compliant … They follow the rules … They get the points … yup sounds just great - but it really isn’t. 😔

Compliance isn’t the same as emotional wellbeing, self-regulation, curiosity, or knowing how to make good decisions for yourself.

We want our children to question things, speak up, express their opinions and experience the whole array of complex emotions that come with being human.

A points system absolutely doesn’t measure any of that.

So if your child comes home with points and a prize, yes celebrate with them.
But also help them understand that it’s a ‘nice to have’, not something they ‘need to have’ to feel successful, worthy or ‘good’.
They are successful, worthy, and good regardless of points.

Knowledge is power.

Ideally, we need to see far fewer extrinsic reward systems being used with children, and I’ll continue to advocate for that. You can too - Join the PTA, speak with class teacher, create change!

But while they are still part of everyday life, we can help our children understand what these systems mean, and perhaps more importantly, what they really don’t mean.

Because it isn’t just about the children who feel ‘less than’.
Sometimes the children who appear to be doing the best within the system are quietly becoming more anxious, perfectionistic, and afraid of getting it wrong.

So who exactly is winning in this award thing!

15/08/2026

The how AND the why!

There are so many things we ask our kids to ‘just do’ when they are experiencing big emotions or finding regulation tricky.

Breathing, affirmations, fresh air, movement, fidget tools … all really useful in their own right, but I think our kids need both the how and the why.

They are smart, curious little humans.
They ask questions, they want to know how things work, and we actually want them to be curious.

So rather than simply ‘telling’ them to take a breath when they are overwhelmed, why not help them understand what is happening in their body?
Talk about the nervous system, the stress response, the vagus nerve, and why some of these strategies can help their body move towards feeling safer and more settled.

When they understand the why, those little dots start to join up.
They can begin to recognise what is happening for themselves and make more informed choices about the things that might help.

That is a really important part of the full-circle approach I use within the The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach.

It is not all about handing children a collection of regulation tools.
It is about teaching them the knowledge behind those tools, practising them, and helping them understand themselves along the way.

Because ultimately, we want children who understand their emotions AND their bodies, not children who simply know a list of things an adult has told them to do.

12/08/2026

It is always about the emotions!

We all have them 🫶🏻

If we hear them, feel them, welcome then, work out why they show up …

Then we can work with them, not against them.

Our emotions drive our thoughts, actions, behaviour.

And this is why teaching emotional literacy skills & knowledge is essential!!

The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach training is all about creating that positive ripple effect 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

12/08/2026

Some throwback pics of previous in-person training days ….

And these are still happening as I just LOVE in-person training.

However online training is here for you too … and so currently under construction is The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Approach ‘online’!!

We’ll still meet on zoom so the chat can flow.

Recording will be available to be work around our busy lives.

There will be a private Facebook group for that informal conversations to flow continue between official calls and make those connection.

As it is all still under construction … what would you like to see as part of an online training course???

If you would like to join in the fun and the learning …then reach out … we can chat … and I’m still looking at that autumn launch. 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Parent version

Professional version

Coach & business version

Something to suit everyone … we all have that same mission … to build the emotional literacy skills and knowledge of children and young people!!!
AND to have some fun whilst doing it!

Best of all - as this is an online beta training … hosted for the first time … I have Amazing BETA discounts!!

10/08/2026

A quick reminder about the new support group coming soon …

Not official training, but definitely a learning opportunity!

When I work 1-to-1 with children and teens around their emotional literacy, or in B.R.E.A.T.H.E. classes, important work happens directly with the child. And that’s amazing.

But very often, some of the most important conversations happen with the adults around them.

You’re the ones with your children every day, doing all the scaffolding, navigating the tricky moments, trying things out, starting again and wondering if you’re getting it right.

So I’d love to be part of that support network for you.

I’m planning a monthly support group at the EmotionALL Studio, with lots of purposeful chat around emotions, moods, neuroscience, anxiety, sibling stuff, teen changes and all the behaviours that come with being human.

The challenges. The possible solutions. The things that make you go “What on earth do I do with this?!”

And we’ll pull together a group of like-minded people, have a coffee and a pastry, and put the world to rights.

One step at a time. 🤣

There might be laughs. There might even be some tears.

But you won’t be alone.

Sometimes saying things out loud, being heard and realising that someone else is thinking or experiencing something similar is a pretty good starting point.

I’ll be hosting these at two different times of day each month, to hopefully make them accessible to more people.

If you raise, care for, or educate young people, this could be a good fit for you.

Note your interest now and we can get started in September.

https://www.paulinelawson.co.uk/about/contact-me

09/08/2026

Something worth sharing with any families or kids around us …

Back to School 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cYJT7j6gF/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Excited or anxious?

How are your kids feeling about the return to school?

Are they excited or anxious …. Or, most likely, a bit of both???

Excitement and anxiety can actually feel very similar in our bodies.
They are both high-energy emotions, which is one of the reasons the Yale Mood Meter helps us think about emotions through both energy and pleasantness.
Sometimes we need to pause and work out what that energy is actually telling us.

Then there is our amygdala, the protective part of the brain, which is constantly scanning for threat.
It is so brilliant at keeping us safe, but it is also loves a bit of catastrophising.
Give it a few unknowns and it can very quickly start filling in the blanks with absolutely everything that could possibly go wrong.

So our kids and teens might have butterflies in their tummy, racing thoughts and that heightened feeling of something being about to happen.
They might describe that as anxiety, and sometimes it absolutely will be anxiety.

But sometimes it might be excitement too.

And actually both can be true at the exact same time.

Going back to school can feel exciting because there are friends to see, new things to learn, new teachers and a familiar routine returning. It can also feel daunting because there are unknowns, worries, about friendships, expectations, changes or things that have been difficult before.

This isn’t about dismissing those worries, fears, or anxieties. These are real, and we absolutely know our own kids best.

It is more about being curious about what is underneath the feeling rather than immediately deciding what it means.
Be open to different possibilities.

“What do you think those butterflies or thoughts are about?”

“Could it be nerves? Could it be excitement? Could it be a bit of both?”

We can help them soothe that protective brain when it needs it, while also reminding them that not every uncomfortable feeling means something is wrong.

Sometimes the return to school really is difficult.

And sometimes it is simply a big change after weeks of being at home, sleeping later, doing what you want and having very few demands placed upon you.

I’m just putting it out there, I believe most of us adults would have a wobble about going back to work after that too.

☺️

08/08/2026

Across my years as a teacher I did love the summer break, of course I did.

Following on from a 8-10 week term in any part of education everyone in school is ready for that break - and I’m sure make such good use of it.

Then we reach that end of the holidays - and it was return to school time.

That week or so before, it would be heading into school to set up the classroom. Head for the resource cupboards, find that they were pretty empty, and head to the shops instead to buy my own resources 🤷🏼‍♀️

Or as a school leader I would be heading into school, heading to my computer (no I don’t have a device to take home - the LA couldn’t afford that). And get the inservice days planned and all sorted.

And then there is that back to school anxiety or even dread that can set in.

There were many things I was looking forward to and loved about being a teacher - but honestly it can be ‘a lot’ and that overwhelm is real.

Why do I tell you this … simply to highlight my need for a more flexible and a life with more choice and freedom.

And that is why I do what is do now.

Not less, not more, not better or worse … simply that freedom to choose.

Right now - that week before kids return to school - I’m in my Motorhome reading books, looking out at the hills, and totally chilling out!!

I set up my business as a Coach and educator. To support kids and teens … and also to support other to build their own children and families wellbeing business too.

I would love this for you too! The flexibility and the freedom.

You may wish to chat about my new ‘online’ B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Training
OR
Chat with me as a strategist, about your own business ideas and how to move things forward.

I’m head to help - just reach out and we can get a call in the diary.

Contact form - https://www.paulinelawson.co.uk/about/contact-me

Strategist info - https://www.paulinelawson.co.uk/business-strategist

08/08/2026

My rainy holiday yesterday - but it created lovely misty views from my motorhome window.

We did head out for a short walks to stretch out legs and grab some fresh air. ☺️

Hopefully today there will be some sunshine of st least some dry patches - but I’ll have my cagoule just in case!

Have your holidays been sunny or rainy?