Eanes ISD in Austin, TX, where I am a behavior support teacher, is committed to preparing and inspiring all students for life-long success. We focus on the whole student, including social-emotional learning, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, stress-management and leadership, to name a few. Teaching these skills creates successful students and successful people.
Research shows that when we experience stress, our brain’s ability to think logically goes “off line” because our bodies are wired to treat stress like a threat. You can imagine how this affects a student’s performance in school. Which is why this school year, we are teaching yoga to help our teachers and students learn how to manage stress and be more mindful in everything they do.
Yoga is often associated with asanas or movements, but yoga is a way of life—the movements are just a small piece. This means we aren’t necessarily doing downward-facing dog or the feathered peacock poses. I use yoga and its philosophy of using the breath to teach cool-down, stress-management, and test-taking strategies that take students as little as five minutes and can be done right in their chairs. Implementing these strategies adds a social-emotional learning aspect to any lesson, whether in a classroom or via videoconference.
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Amy Hartmann Garner, M.Ed is a behavior support teacher and a registered yoga teacher at Eanes ISD in Austin, TX.
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