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...
Re-connecting the “Me-Me-Me Generation”
Were you, too, a little disconcerted to see Christmas swag going up well before Halloween this year? Yet that makes it even a little cooler to see more major retailers stepping up to say, “No, we’re not opening early for Black Friday. We’re staying closed all...
Working Together – Making Our Dreams Come True
Writing books has always been a dream for Yoga Calm founder, Lynea Gillen. But it hasn't always been an easy path. Her first children's book, Good People Everywhere, was panned by her writing group, because it didn't fit the typical children's book model. "Their...
A New Vision for Healing: Yoga as Complementary Therapy
For parents and children struggling with mental health and behavioral issues, the stress of life can be overwhelming. Often the clients come from families with unresolved grief and trauma. The professionals working in the field need tools that are simple and...
Kids, Autonomy & the Need for Unstructured – Even “Risky” – Play
How much freedom a child is given is largely a matter of perceived risk. It’s the case with traditional societies. It’s the case with our own. But what happens when our risk assessment doesn’t really match reality? Our Media-Fueled Fear It’s easy to believe that the...
So “Close”, yet So “Far”Away… : The Impact of Tech on Kid’s Empathy
In a recent New York Times article, Professor Sherry Turkle offered a stark example of how lack of empathy can play out in a school setting: A few years ago, a private middle school asked me to consult with its faculty: Students were not developing friendships the way...
Practical Mindfulness: Natural Breath Inquiry
We often receive emails and phone calls from teachers and counselors asking us, “How do I bring the benefits of yoga and mindfulness to the youth I serve?” The answer is simple, but not always easy to do: Start with yourself. As educators and counselors we know that...
Practical Mindfulness: Take 3 Breaths…
Transitions are an important time. Starting the school day, shifting from work mode to having a family meal, preparing for sleep are all key times to shift our attention. They are also the perfect opportunity to develop your mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is all...
Back-to-School: Build Community First – Free Lesson Plan & Video Included!
With so much to do at the beginning of the school year and so much going on, it’s easy for school staff to get distracted with all the administrative details, exigencies and logistics of just getting classrooms together. But experienced teachers and counselors know...
Keep those Kids Moving… into the Fall School Year
We’ve looked before at the relationship between physical activity and cognitive skills. The short version, as brain scientist John Medina has noted, is that our brains developed to work best while we’re moving in an outdoor environment. This is one of the reasons why,...
Summer Camp: Teaching with Nature (with Sample Curriculum & Activity!)
We love Yoga Calm Summer Camp week, which just wrapped up here at our studio in Portland. There’s just nothing quite like kids and summer – nature explorations, playing with friends, lots of physical activity, healthy fruits and vegetables from the back garden, and...