Empathy
A boy whose mother is dying in hospice joins a Yoga Calm group. When it comes time for Volcano Breath and the kids are asked to think of someone or something they want to be strong for, he tells the group about his mom. There is silence, then a collective “oooh” from the children. They immediately say they all want to do Volcano Breath for his mom. They begin to breathe with great intention and display wonderful empathy through their movements.
Bully Prevention
A middle school girl who was constantly teased on the playground bursts into the school counselor’s office exclaiming, “It worked! That thing we did in yoga the other day! Some kids were teasing me and I breathed into my belly, told myself that I am strong and in a deep voice I told them to stop. And guess what? They stopped!!”
ADHD
Instead of blowing up, ADHD boys in an elementary school classroom now use Volcano Breath to get under control and calm themselves.
Developing Trust
Yoga Calm’s Trust Walk activity helps troubled kids practice being trustworthy, leading and following. Students are more comfortable with the idea of slowing down, focusing and relaxing.
Reducing Test Stress
A fifth grade class found that 20 to 30 minutes of Yoga Calm helped reduce test stress. Now the kids regularly do deep breathing and stretching poses on their own to calm and refocus.
Self Control
An elementary school counselor walks into her office and finds a student standing in Tree pose before a Yoga Calm poster that says I am strong. I am in control. I can do it. I can be responsible. The student says that she was having trouble at recess, so she came in here to get herself under control. She practices the pose for several minutes then heads back out to recess exclaiming, “I use those words all the time!”
Mental Strength
After a relaxation in which students listened to the Strong Voice inside each of them, a fourth grade girl who struggles with anxiety states, “My strong voice told me that even if my mother never gets a good job, some day I will be old enough to get a good job and create a good life for myself.”
Visual Learners
A developmentally delayed Hmong student has learned new language skills and the ability to coordinate new movements with Yoga Calm. Another student with developmental/cognitive delays is now able to stay in his classroom for group instruction.
Calm Home Life
A parent uses a Yoga Calm breathing sphere to help her child during a “meltdown” while riding in the family car. The boy independently uses the sphere and takes three slow breaths before calmly passing back the ball and saying simply, “I’m done.” They go quietly on their way.
Leadership
A fourth grade student tells the group how for the first time he has felt like a leader. He states that the yoga has helped him find peace inside despite the chaos in his life.
A sixth grader asks to lead a sequence of poses, but before beginning he turns to a new classmate whose mother has recently died in a tragic accident. The leader looks the new student right in the eye and says, “I’m doing this for your mother.” The whole group grows silent in a moment of honoring. Their yoga is beautiful.
Read more in our Blog