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.

