Welcome to the Mindful Readers DC blog! I’m Lauren: a special education teacher, certified yoga instructor, wife, mom of three plus a dog, and Girl Scout leader x 2. My yoga style is to fit it in whenever I can, even if that just means 5 minutes here or there. I am here to share about the unique combination of systematic academic instruction + yoga. There is a lot to explore between these two seemingly different areas that actually intersect and complement each other beautifully!
Teaching Background
As a special education teacher, I have dedicated my career to helping students with disabilities reach their full potential. I was trained to provide specialized instruction and support to meet the unique needs of each student (shoutout to JMU and my beloved “Speducator” co-hort!). I am passionate about creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for anyone who walks through my classroom door.
But, my years of classroom experience tell me that this is not enough. It does not always meet the diverse academic AND emotional needs of my students. And it’s awfully tough to separate the two.
From the K-12 Classroom to Yoga Studio
I have long been a proponent of including mindfulness in the classroom. But my (seemingly unrelated) yoga journey really started in 2020 when I was struggling with chronic joint pain due to autoimmune disease. Not only did yoga give me my range of motion and pain free days back, it also sent me on an unexpected path of emotional growth. For me, yoga was a source of healing in more ways than one. And it quickly dawned on me that THIS is a missing piece of the puzzle in helping our struggling learners.
After becoming a certified 200 hour yoga instructor in 2020, and then continuing on to earn my 500 hour certification in 2021, I have a deep understanding of the physical and mental benefits that yoga can bring. Not only can the Mindful Reader’s approach and principles of yoga be applied in the classroom, but students can learn to identify their emotions and triggers, regulate themselves, and use yoga to support their own learning and development.
Homeschooling on the Road
Even though I am a classroom teacher, I am also an enthusiastic cheerleader for homeschool families. The year 2020 looked a little different for all of us. For my family, we were able to take a year of uncertainty and upheaval and make the best of it by pulling our kids out of public school in favor of homeschooling and RVing around the country. I hope my kids and I never forget the magic that year brought. We tackled 5th grade, 2nd grade, and Pre-K together in between seeing new sights (social distance style, of course) bouncing along country roads, and counting our laundry quarters.
I say “my kids and I,” but my husband was also very much present. He likely has a different take on our adventures in the great outdoors since he was working full time from behind his laptop and acting as our primary driver. In the interest of full disclosure, I will say if there is a limit to what yoga can do it is this: no amount of yogic breathing resulted in me sitting behind the wheel of our 39 foot RV looking or feeling calm! But then again it’s not really about staying calm at all times. It’s more about being able to return to a state of calm through all of the day’s ups and downs. One thing I can assure you of is that yoga will quietly, little by little or sometimes all at once, move mountains for your child!
Meet Me on the Mat!
Regardless of your child’s school experience, I hope to see them soon on the mat! We will build critical reading skills alongside improvements in focus, concentration, self-awareness, and more.
