Join the “Yes” Generation
“No” has its merits, as we noted last week. But so does “yes.” “Yes” is an invitation to experience. One experience that continues to be embraced by more and more people is yoga. According to Yoga Alliance’s latest Yoga in America report, 36.7 million now practice it...
Join the “NO” Revolution
When I was a young teacher, I was given some good advice by a mentor: Start off the year firm. You can always loosen up. But if you start too loose, you will have a hard time getting the classroom under control later. It took some practice to become very precise and...
Creating Community in the Classroom
Great things can happen when people collaborate. We can develop dynamic solutions to seemingly intractable problems. We can uncover ingenious responses to our most pressing challenges. We can accomplish more together than any single one of us could possibly do alone....
Back to School Spells… STRESS! (But It Doesn’t Have To)
You know the feeling...you're floating along on a lazy late summer day, then suddenly hear the rumbling of rapids ahead. The frenzy and chaos that accompanies the beginning of the school year are dead ahead! But instead of just plowing bravely ahead, like every other...
“I Can Do That For Myself” – Empowering Girls Through Yoga Calm
When I was a counselor, I used to tell the young girls about the time I got suspended from school for a week. “I got in BIG trouble,” I’d say, then ask them to guess what I did. Usually they’d guess that I had skipped school. Or had said something really mean. Or had...
Teaching EQ, Not IQ
Some conversations, you never forget – like the one I once had with my brother-in-law David. “It’s really hard to find and hire good employees,” he said. And it wasn’t finding people with good work experience or smarts that was the problem. At that time, David was the...
We Need Each Other! Tips for Developing Community, Empathy, Mindfulness
One day, a group of children from the behavioral classroom came into my room VERY angry. As a group, they had been bullied on the way to an assembly, and their collective rage had come busting out. A frightened educational assistant brought them into my room and...
Helping High Schoolers with Mindfulness
How do you remember your high school years? If you’re like most, your memories are mixed. Some may be beautiful. Others? Not so good. Accomplishments. Hurt. Fun times. Feeling like an outsider. Pride. Pressure. Even in best cases, teenage years are hard. And today’s...
Creating a Culture of Movement: Fun Activities for Family Fitness
Hear that Americans tend to be physically inactive, and you wouldn’t bat an eye. Yet hearing just how much we’re not moving can be a bit of a shock. Consider the study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Measuring...
Loving Care & Community in the Classroom
Think back to your favorite school teacher. Elementary, middle, high school, college…doesn’t matter. Picture them. In your mind’s eye, see them in their classroom again. Remember the sound of their voice. Make the memory as vivid as you possibly can. Those teachers...
Mindfulness for Teachers
Ask a teacher what they think about their work. You’ll likely hear that it’s rewarding – and exhausting. For as a teacher, you’re constantly giving – your time, your knowledge, your care, your attention. You’re constantly doing for others. Add the increasing pressures...
Sharing Yoga Calm in Russia (and Around the Globe!)
Yoga Calm began in 2000 with one counselor in a rural Oregon elementary school – Lynea – striving to meet the needs of increasing numbers of students with extreme behavioral issues. Soon, we were teaching it to others in the Portland Metro area – a program that became...