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...
Coming Together in Our Care for Children: 2015 Summer Intensive Highlights
Our annual Summer Intensive – a training that encompasses our three basic Yoga Calm curriculum courses – is our favorite of the year. Not only do we get to spend time at relaxing studios and beautiful retreats such as Still Meadow here in Oregon; we get to meet and...
Meet Our Youngest Certified Youth Instructor, Aderyn McLean
When Kelly McLean was diagnosed five years ago with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune form of arthritis, she followed her doctor’s recommendation and took up yoga. It helped her so much that she decided to become a yoga instructor and eventually earned her...
Receiving Your Students’ Gratitude – and Recognizing All the Good Work You Do
There’s nothing sweeter than a heartfelt thank you note written by a child. As teachers and counselors, we’re often so caught up in the day-to-day rush to educate and help our students, we don’t have time to recognize the impact of the good work we’re doing. While we...