The past three years have been stressful for all of us and our children are no different. That is why we are so excited to have our enrichment programs live and in person in the school again. On any given day, you will find CrossFit for Kids, the Slover Library, The Chrysler Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Master Gardeners, Yummy Goodness Catering, community leaders, workers and so much more. We use the whole-child approach and aim for our children to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. Ultimately, we are focused on the long-term development and success of every child.
Did you know that focused breathing can be a major stress reliever? It helps you slow your heartbeat and stabilize your blood pressure. When we take three focused deep breaths, we signal to our nervous system to calm down. I learned that many years ago from my doctor and yoga teacher. It is amazing how often you might find yourself not breathing properly, tensing your toes or your jaw. We hold our stress in many different places in our bodies. That is why mindfulness is baked into everything we do.
We all need strategies on how to deal with stress, don’t we? Why not teach our children ways to deal with stress? In The New E3 School, we focus on mindfulness in the classroom as part of our daily routine. We have a yoga teacher visit every classroom several times per month to work with our children and teachers. Our teachers and staff in partnership with our yoga teacher, help our children learn to have empathy, control their emotions, stay calm, deal with feelings, respect one another and get along well with others. Who wouldn’t benefit from yoga at their morning meeting?
We all too often hear from parents that bedtime is stressful for the entire family. Try adding a few deep breaths into your nightly routine, a yoga pose or two, soft music and snuggles with a book. I guarantee that everyone will get a sound night sleep. There are a few children’s yoga books that we can recommend or let you borrow.
Namaste!
Lisa
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