Yoga Strategies Bringing Calm To Stillwater Area Classrooms

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Backpacks and book bags are common things making their way to school with kids everyday. But it’s the things students carry with them that you can’t see - things like stress, anxiety and trauma - that are having the biggest impact on their ability to learn, school officials say.

A group of teachers at Lake Elmo Elementary School are trying to change that. More than 30 teachers have volunteered to take part in a professional development opportunity called Yoga Calm.

“One of the most important takeaways from our work is how important it is to pay attention to the needs of our students' nervous systems and brains in order to help them learning at their best,” said Julie Mock, second grade teacher, in a statement.

“Some of the strategies that we learned, like using a breathing ball to support getting oxygen to our brains, will help our students gain skills in keeping themselves physically and emotionally regulated for learning.”

Read more at the Stillwater district website.