Stress, in small doses, is good for our minds, since it spurs us into learning and adapting. However, ongoing stress over situations beyond our control can cause our minds and bodies to become unbalanced. Balanced living is achieved by knowing when and how to diffuse stress.


Keeping this in mind, Ms. Colin asks


herself to be aware of what is triggering her own stress and why a certain reaction or fear is being expressed while she is in a ‘stressful’ situation. Being able to identify the source of stress allows one to redirect their reaction to a healthier method of deal- ing with the stressors.


Students are taking note of the changes in Ms. Colin and are beginning to respond to her redirection methods. She has started using stress diffusing in her classroom and she tries to remind students to consider the cause of the stress and they talk about it. If the stress is caused by something that isn’t so important, she helps them learn to release the stress. She is focusing her atten- tion on calming their breathing and redi- recting the frustration in a healthier manner.


Calming Yoga Yes, you heard that right. There is a


teacher here in Connecticut who is able to get your 5-16-year-old children to sit down and do yoga with her. It isn’t as hard as it sounds, and it helps them relax from their constant energy, focus on thinking and being mindful of their surroundings, and guides them to de-stress as they learn to release negative thoughts and energy.


Melissa Constantini, an educator with


a Master of Arts Degree in Learning and Thinking from The Graduate Institute, has started meditation camps for students in Connecticut. During the camp, she guides students on utilizing focusing methods. Anybody can benefit from learning how to keep their mind relaxed and focused on the task at hand, but children especially struggle with focus, since they usually are more focused on outward exploration rather than calming their minds.


Each day of the camp, the students


practice seated meditation, then they all join in yoga before they begin the activities of the day. During creative time, she guides them in creating calming crafts, such as rain sticks or mandala circle journaling, to focus their minds on creativity. In doing this, students learn to use meditation to bring out passions, change and creating in the artistic areas.


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Does It Make a Difference to the Students? Ms. Wright has begun to see what she is terming a restorative impact on the day for students who are practicing mindful- ness. She has found that if her students are practicing mindfulness and reflection before she begins teaching them for the day, the classroom settles down with a focused energy. This is allowing students to have a deepened understanding of the intercon- nectedness of self, others, and the world.


However, this change isn’t just hap- pening in her classroom, the entire district has taken notice of the changes and many teachers have implemented her Mindful Moments. These teachers who have come on board with the idea are also finding simi- lar results. Ms. Wright believes that helping students learn mindfulness and stress defus- ing techniques will have a “ripple effect of good” on the student’s lives.


Another teacher, Kahseim Outlaw had presented to his school faculty on the ben- efits of mindfulness, meditation and yoga, and later was able to start up an after-school yoga class for the faculty and students at his school. With each class, Kahseim taught yoga concepts and techniques. The basics of yoga lie in connecting mind and body and brings with it the ability to look deeper into actions and thoughts to find one’s purpose and path. While these are founda- tions of yoga practice, understanding these


concepts is what takes a 1-hour yoga class and causes its impact to spread throughout one’s week and life.


In the beginning of the semester, the attendees were mostly faculty with a few scattered appearances by students. How- ever, by week 5, there were more students attending than there were faculty members in the class. By the end of the 16-week semester, Kahseim was the only faculty present, all other attendees were students. Students were choosing to stay after-school to practice, discuss and explore meditation and yoga. Students saw that staying for yoga for an hour would have a better effect on their lives than other activities they could be engaged in. Even during finals week, stu- dents wanted to stay for yoga, because they were seeing the difference a weekly 1-hour yoga class was having on their mindset, choices


and academics.


According to Terri Bhatt, educator and co-founder of the Calm-trepreneur Program, high school students diagnosed with anxi- ety and depression often find themselves struggling with daily routines and classroom interactions. For some, school attendance can become a challenge. Recognizing that school absence reinforces anxiety rather than diminishes it, an Interim Instruction room fills the gap. "Avoidance of pain or discomfort is a natural human response, but


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