The idea was simple: To teach yoga to children.
It became something more...
Empowered Minds began in 2008 at Mitchell Elementary, with a few yoga classes as part of PE. Once teachers and staff began to see the benefits of movement and social-emotional learning, they built yoga into the weekly curriculum. Empowered Minds has since worked through volunteer efforts to provide yoga and mindfulness to school children, aged 3-18 years old.
The focus was specific: to serve the children of Charleston’s downtown public schools.
We followed them as they grew, adding programs at the middle and high schools once they reached that age. There came a day when we were teaching yoga and mindfulness to high schoolers who'd been in our program since they were three or four years old.
Why yoga and mindfulness in schools?
Research shows that movement, along with the ability to calm the mind and nervous system, improve cognitive development and overall student health. What we’ve learned through this journey is that yoga is relational work.
By listening to students, adapting to their unique needs and getting to know their families, teachers and administrators, we've emerged with a deeper sense of community and a holistic understanding of the forces at work in their lives. Our teaching is emergent and co-creative.
This is the essence of Empowered Minds. We co-create learning ready classrooms and the space for personal and collective empowerment. We teach specific tools, creative techniques, and daily practices that lay the foundation for attentiveness, stability, and curiosity upon which all learning rests.
