A Different Kind of Test Prep: Yoga Calm Before Standardized Testing
Another year, another testing season…though now with some welcome (if long-overdue) gestures toward “right-sizing” testing, most notably the Every Student Succeeds Act. This legislation, wrote Laura Moser earlier this month on Slate, seriously dialed back the emphasis...
Bringing Mindfulness to the Classroom
There’s a simple reason you keep seeing more schools establishing mindfulness programs: They work. As Kim Rempel summed up in her 2012 review of the literature, The potential benefits of integrating mindfulness-based training into school settings are significant in...
“Sing, Sing a Song…” The Power of Music’s Message
One day when our granddaughter Anna was feeling sick with a cold, she sang a little song that went like this. “When you’re sick, rest is best, rest is best.” She told us that if she rested, she would get well faster. Then came other songs – one about being a big help...
School-Wide Yoga Calm: Breathing Together, Starting the Day Right
We love hearing from people about how they’re using Yoga Calm with kids and the difference is makes! Most recently, we heard from Cynthia Wilson, a counselor at Fair Oaks Elementary in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, north of the Twin Cities. Last fall, the whole school did...
“I Want It Now!” Strategies for Dealing with the Overindulged Child
Overindulged. Demanding. Ungrateful. Is there anyone who doesn’t feel a relieved sort of happiness and justice served when Veruca Salt goes down the chute? That’s the unfortunate outcome of an overindulged child: Others don’t like them. They alienate other people and...
Brain Hacks: Suggestions from Neuroscience on How to Make Good on Your Resolutions
Did you make any resolutions for the new year? How are you doing with them? The hard truth is that despite every good intention, most of us fail to make good on the promises we make to ourselves at the turning of the year. Some statistics suggest that, over the long...
Sharing Dreams Can Change the World
When we started Yoga Calm, we had no idea how it would grow. We had a dream and we shared our ideas with a small group of enthusiastic school counselors at a local conference. Their excitement and support motivated us to share with many others – not just counselors...
Tech Toys Are Fun, but Do They Really Help Learning? (Maybe Not)
For a lot of kids this past holiday season, at least one – and maybe many – of the gifts they opened were tech toys of one kind or another. Older kids may have received things like video games, tablets, wearables, or countless other gadgets (even – for better or worse...
Got Sleep? It’s Just the Thing Our Brains Need
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, indeed – especially for teachers and students. For it’s not just the presents and fabulous feasts and festive family gatherings; not just the sparkly lights, glitter and shimmer and all the rest. It’s a welcome opportunity...
Skilled, Safe and Free Range Children
Those of us old enough to remember the original Mickey Mouse Club can recall that while Jiminy Cricket warned us about a whole lot of things – “I’m No Fool, no siree!” – “stranger danger” was never one of them. My, how things have changed! “Why Won’t You Let Your Son...
Successfully Bringing Yoga into Your School
When Lynea and I first developed our Yoga Calm program at her elementary school in the year 2000, we had no idea that we were going to be part of such a large movement. We were just responding to student needs with the skills and tools we had on hand. Fast forward 15...
Practical Mindfulness: Gratitude
When people talk about mindfulness, you often hear them talk about gratitude, too. After all, you can’t really practice gratitude without it. For gratitude is more than just saying “thanks.” It’s recognizing what we value about an action or person or thing, and how we...