Greetings! 

Thank you for joining me on my journey that has now connected me to you.  What a privilege for me! If anyone had told me in my first year of teaching in 1987 that I would be blogging about mindfulness in 2020, I would not understood what mindfulness or the internet was. We just never know where our journey will lead us.  Having a site to organize my favorite lessons, thoughts, and activities has been a goal for the past year, but Covid-19 has pushed me into action.  Now I have a way to reach my students and anyone else interested.

Over the last five years, I’ve noticed that the type of pain kids were experiencing was rapidly changing and the counseling techniques I had developed weren’t as effective. This is the first generation born with access to smart devices, apps and social media. I needed new tools in my tool bag to help them deal with their pain and anxiety, and so began the fork in my road.

I tried yoga for the first time as I was training for the 2015 Boston Marathon. The release of tension was immediate.  Each book, podcast, conversation, and yoga class led to more curiosity about mindfulness and yoga.  I knew I felt a shift, but could this material settle and soothe the kids at school who had a palpable pain?  Starting with a group of brave girls struggling with anxiety, we gathered each morning before school and began a Mindful Breathing pilot.  We kept our expectations low as the mindfulness and meditation strategy felt very woo-woo to me. Looking back on it all makes me laugh today, but the trust and hope those girls carried set the foundation.  Four years later, mindfulness class is now an elective in my school over 240 kids involved, and I’m enrolled in yoga teacher training further enriching this journey.  

Peace to you,

Kelley