APRIL 8 • 2021 | 15
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEITH VARTANIAN AND THE HEROES CIRCLE
What is a ‘Breath Brake?’
Keith Vartanian, a martial arts therapist with Kids Kicking Cancer’s Boston
and New York chapters, takes us step-by-step on how to perform a Breath
Brake, a core component of the Childhood Resilience Initiative curriculum.
Vartanian hosts a weekly Facebook Live broadcast at 5 p.m. (EDT) every
Wednesday on KKC’s Facebook page (facebook.com/kidskickingcancer).
He performs what is known as a “body scan,” releasing tension, discom-
fort and pain; letting the power of your breath “bring healing and comfort,”
as he described. Vartanian performs Breath Brakes, virtually, with partici-
pants, helping them “breathe in the light and blow out the darkness.”
— Bryan Gottlieb
1. In our Breath Brake, we set our feet shoul-
der width apart. We start off by rubbing our
hands together, feeling the warm energy we
can create — our “chi.”
2. We then relax our shoul-
ders, laying our hands at our
waist, palms up. We begin to
think about our “light,” all the
things that make us feel happy,
strong, safe and loved.
3. We “breathe in the light” for
three seconds as we raise our
hands up — through our belly,
chest, and neck — and the
breath follows and fills those
spaces. At the top, we take one
last breath in to fill our lungs
and hold onto those happy
thoughts for another three
seconds.
4. We then turn our hands to face down-
ward, pushing our palms slowly to the
ground over a final three seconds, “Blowing
out the darkness” — those things that make
us feel pain, discomfort, anger, sadness and
fear.
5. At the very bottom, when we
think we have no more air, we
push out the last bit our breathe
while placing our hands as far
down as they will go. Then start
the process again, for as many
times as needed, to feel the light
inhabit one’s bodies. Continue
the thought process of breath-
ing in the good things in our life
and blowing out the darkness.