How Trauma Changes the Brain, How Strength Transforms Trauma
By Lynea Gillen It was clear that the young men in the psychiatric unit weren’t much interested in yoga. Struggling with addiction and mental health, they appeared cautious, wounded, apathetic. Lounging in their hospital scrubs, they shot us suspicious glances. “We...
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Low Back Pain? Kids Can Have It, Too. And Yoga Can Help (Tips Included!)
Low back pain is pretty common. It’s the top cause of disability worldwide. Over 30 million American adults have it right now. Maybe you’re one of them. But it’s not something you normally associate with kids. The conventional wisdom is that children shouldn’t...
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Bullying on the Rise – What Do We Do About It?
Through recent months, we’ve seen evidence of a lot more bullying going on, much of it attributed to the angry, polarizing 2016 US election. Recent research out of the University of Wisconsin seems to reinforce that impression. If we look at the 2013 data, about 12...
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Resolution: Bringing What Matters into Focus
By Jim Gillen My first yoga class of the year is always a big one – as many as 50 people squeezing into a small space, each wanting to start off the new year right. Usually, I ask my students about their “resolutions.” This year, I asked a different question:...
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Yoga for the Holidays, Strengthening Family Ties
By Lynea Gillen I recently led a yoga class for a family that has been involved in Yoga Calm for several years now. About halfway through, one of the older girls who hadn’t practiced in a while quietly said, “It’s good to be back.” Her mother smiled. Yes, it is good...
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A Solution for Teacher Burnout: Yoga & Mindfulness
By Lynea Gillen If you work in the schools, you may already be counting down the days until winter break is finally here. It’s a welcome opportunity to catch your breath, relax, recharge – well, after all the holiday shopping and baking and everything else is done,...
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Seeing Our Strengths, Transforming Childhood Trauma
When you’re in pain, support is essential. So is releasing sorrow and anger. But we can get trapped in these emotions, too – ruminate and recreate them in our lives, over and over and again. One way I know that the kids I counsel are getting healthier emotionally is...
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Cultivating More Positive Emotions
When I worked as a counselor in a behavior classroom I would meet with the students every morning. Often the students would often come in with sad or frightening things on their mind. It was difficult for them to focus on school when their minds and bodies were full...
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Investing in Your Emotional Bank Account
The run-up to Thanksgiving can be a frantic, stressful time – preparing for guests or preparing to travel, trying to get everything done that needs doing. But once the holiday comes, it’s a welcome opportunity to relax for a few days, connect with family and friends,...
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You Don’t Have to Agree with Someone to See the Goodness in Them
Several years ago, the children in the 6th grade classroom I was visiting as a school counselor started to talk about the dangers in the world and how many “bad” people there were “out there.” I asked them to tell me more. They told me about stories from the news,...
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Plugging into Family Relationships, Not Just Devices
"Grandpa, this is much more fun than playing on the tablet!" My 6-year old granddaughter's observation seemed so obvious and true. We had spent the afternoon together, building a ladder for her new treehouse. We used a tape measure and her budding math skills to...
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Transforming Teachers, Revitalizing Teachers
One of the most gratifying things we hear from teachers who bring Yoga Calm into their classrooms is how it changes their own lives – personally and professionally – as well as their students’. They say they find it revitalizing their teaching and rekindling the fire...
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