For many children, their behavior is unintentional and unplanned. Their behavior while disruptive and difficult to manage, is most often motivated purely as an attempt at communicating a need and reflecting their internal state. Our most primary need? Safety. Their external behavior is communicating a loud resounding message of, “I do not feel safe right […]
Articles
Understanding Your Brain
Along with teaching educators and students the actual practices of breath, movement and mindfulness, understanding the science of what you are doing strengthens the practice as well as the degree of “buy-in.” When you begin to recognize and appreciate that YOU are able to hack into your nervous system and create real changes, it is […]
Simple Beginnings
Sometimes we are afraid to start something new. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the commitment. Sometimes we are reluctant to start something new because we are not even sure it will be worth the time and effort. So “why bother?” In regards to mindfulness, the research is pretty clear. Improvement in behavior, mood, temperament, […]
“School Wellness Programs” = Well-Being For All
As we continue to work with schools across the country, there is a growing awareness of the importance a student’s overall health and well-being plays in learning. For many schools, they begin exploring wellness through the lens of nutrition and exercise. Both are extremely important. What we eat directly effects how our body and brain […]
5 Mindful, Trauma-Informed Tools to Increase Peace and Improve Behavior in the Classroom
Recent media events and research have been highlighting the need for educators to become more aware of the prevalence of trauma in the lives of the children we serve. As the ACE’s study has revealed, the rates of trauma and causes of trauma are expansive. They not only impact the child’s life now, in the […]
The Power of HOW You Use Your Words
Every word we utter has the potential to grow a child, or shrink them. What is even more influential than what we say, is HOW we say it. The “what” is often obvious. The “how” is subtle and can be extraordinarily magical. As most of you know, I don’t believe in only teaching the tools of […]
How Yoga and Mindfulness Can Help Students Exposed to Trauma
There are many children in our classrooms that would benefit from learning tools to understand, express and manage their emotions. Children who have been affected by trauma are in constant states of hyperarousal and emotional distress. Learning tools to de-escalate, calm and communicate are essential in order to help them function in and out of […]
How to Use Mindful Parenting in the Moment
We’ve all been here before: icy stand-offs, shouting matches, total meltdowns or even a minor disagreement that somehow escalated into something bigger. No matter how hard you try to diffuse the situation, your own emotions take over and before you know it, you’ve lost control too. As frustrating and difficult as this is can be, […]
