April 28, 2024 • 34 mins
Discover the transformative journey of integrating yoga and mindfulness into the classroom as Jamie Gales, the founder of Little Om Big Om, joins us to share her expert insights and strategies. Jamie, a multi-faceted educator, entrepreneur, and mother, unpacks the importance of movement and breathwork in supporting social and emotional learning for young learners. She addresses the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the collective trauma and decreased physical activity it caused, and presents playful, engaging methods to help children manage their physical and emotional needs.
This episode goes beyond the surface, offering practical tips for teachers to incorporate these practices into their daily routines. Jamie explains how simple modifications, like animal movements during storytime or sensory experiences at snack time, can prepare students for learning and interaction without additional tasks or educational jargon. She also underscores the importance of energy regulation through strategies like chair yoga, highlighting the positive ripple effects on classroom dynamics, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.
Wrapping up, we engage in a dynamic conversation about Jamie's innovative approach to educator training and her kids yoga teacher program, "Meet Me in Child's Pose." We delve into how Little Om Big Om is impacting both the local Madison community and educators at large, providing key resources to nurture a lifelong love of learning. As a bonus, Jamie takes on a series of quick-fire questions, adding a personal touch to the discussion. This episode is a treasure trove of inspiration and practical tools for educators, clinicians, and anyone working with youth, aiming to infuse mindfulness and movement into the educational landscape.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Teachers Ed Podcast.
I'm your host, edward Eshazer.
Teachers Ed Podcast was createdto create a space for the best
and brightest in education tocome to learn, to be inspired,
to grow.
Today's guest is Jamie Gales.
She is an educator and anentrepreneur dedicated to giving
(00:31):
kids opportunities to getmoving and get creative.
Jamie owns a kids yoga programand co-directs a creative art
summer camp and afterschoolprogram that together serve
thousands of kids per year.
Jamie is also the co-founderand co-director of a kids yoga
teacher training and a campcounselor training, and she
supports other business owningmoms and leaders through
(00:53):
professional developmentprograms as a podcast network
that she owns that I've alsobeen a guest on, so go download
and check out that podcast.
Jamie is also the mom to threeactive teenagers.
She has her BA from theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
go Badgers and has been teachingkids for over 20 years in a
wide variety of enrichmentspaces.
Jamie is also someone that Igrew up and went to high school
(01:16):
with, so it is an honor to haveyou on the podcast.
Welcome, jamie.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Thanks, addy, I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, I'm glad that you were able to jump on.
Can you just start by lettingeveryone know before you too
much about yourself what is yourpodcast, so they can pause this
, go and find it, subscribe toit, before we even get into
anything else.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, awesome, thank you.
I actually have two podcastsOne that you were on I was so
happy to have you on it's calledthe Follow the Leaders podcast
and it's just all aboutleadership and all things like
think about how I built thisshow, but for leaders, so
developing leaders and rockingout in that way.
And then I have another podcast.
It's called the In it for Youthpodcast and it's for
professionals and people thatwork with and serve youth.
(01:59):
So we talk to lots of differentyouth serving professionals and
get their perspectives.
So, thanks, thanks for thethanks for the plug.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
So pause this episode , go subscribe, then come back.
Don't go listen to it becauseyou're going to forget about
this episode.
Just subscribe, come back,listen to this one, then go back
and listen to those.
That's right.
But, Jamie, it's an honor tohave you on.
I enjoyed being on your podcastand when we were bringing these
episodes back out.
One of the things and one ofthe main reasons I wanted to
(02:27):
bring you on for people to hearis because I know the work that
you do in mindfulness.
So, to start, I would love foryou just to kind of I gave you
an introduction just tell thelisteners a little more about
what you do.
But then I really think thatyour expertise in mindfulness
with students is something that,with all of the SEL
(02:48):
conversations that are being hadand teachers trying to figure
out what to do with their kidsand their kids are struggling, I
just thought you'd be a greatresource for them to lean into.
But to start, tell the peoplejust a little about yourself,
what you do, and then let's jumpinto a conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Awesome.
Well, yeah, so I own a companycalled Little Om Big Om and we
do yoga and mindfulness withkids and families all over the
Madison area.
I'm in Madison and I have ateam of instructors and we go
into schools and camps andlibraries and businesses and
some studios to bring yogaclasses to kids and families,
and a big part of what we do iswork with groups of kids in
(03:25):
schools and camps and otherinformal ed settings to bring in
the practice of yoga andmeditation, mindfulness and
that's.
You know, when I started this11 years ago I had to explain
like, what does it even mean?
People have thought kids doingyoga meant in rows on mats in a
(03:45):
heated studio.
No, obviously not.
But now we all kind of knowwhat it is and that it's a good
thing.
So my job is really to giveteachers really hands-on ways to
bring these things into theirclassroom, whether it's through
us coming in and leading theactivities or giving the tools
directly to classroom teachersand other professionals that
(04:06):
work with kids so that they canincorporate into what's already
happening in their classrooms.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And when you think about and I know you were
talking about when you started11 years ago how much different
it is, do you feel that COVIDand just the acknowledgement of
students' social and emotionalneeds has something that has
benefited you and that sounds soweird to say because it's
(04:35):
benefited what you're doing, butI think it's something that
we've glossed over in schoolsfor so long that COVID finally
highlighted that, hey, our kidshave basic needs other than
academics that need to be met.
So, when you think about howlong you've been doing this,
what were some of the thingsthat COVID changed?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
when you think about how it's pivoted not pivoted,
but how it's altered what you'vebeen doing- yeah, that's a
great question and I will sayanother, besides just the
emotional needs tied to that, somuch is movement and I do think
that that's something thatanybody who was at home with
kids during COVID saw.
You know, the amount of movementthat kids were doing all of us
(05:14):
were doing just plummeted duringCOVID.
We were stuck at home, weweren't even kids were not even
getting the movement from goingfrom one classroom to the
lunchroom, to the gym that theywere in a normal day-to-day
thing, let alone all theirsocial things playing at the
park with kids going on playdates.
So I do think that that is onebig thing that I've seen is that
(05:36):
people are seeing the impact ofwhat losing those opportunities
to move had and then alsorealizing, ok, we really, really
need to be working these thingsinto the classroom, because we
all did go through thecollective trauma of COVID and
the lockdown and all of that,and so we need to tend to kids'
physical and emotional needs.
And that is one of the bigreasons why I'm still so
(05:59):
passionate about this is becauseusing yoga and mindfulness
strategies in a way that is funand playful and developmentally
appropriate for kids can be away for kids to access those
huge needs that they have or getthem.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I guess I should say and there's teachers that are
listening, because, like yousaid, if you would have asked me
a few years back, like puttingyoga in a classroom, I would
just automatically assume thatwas lining a bunch of mats up,
putting the kids in rows andkind of doing that aspect.
What are some of the thingsthat, if there's a teacher, an
(06:35):
educator, that's listening, whatare some simple ways that
someone could start doing someof these activities right now in
their classroom today?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah.
So I think, before we dive intothe like, here's how we do it I
want to take a minute to justkind of talk about.
What are we even really talkingabout when we say yoga and
mindfulness?
Because kids, because teachersand schools have become more
aware that this is somethingthat can be beneficial.
It's in sometimes it's likeshove down kids' throats like
they need to do mindfulness, oreven the word yoga Sometimes
(07:06):
kids might be like, oh, I didn'tlike it the last time they
tried it, that kind of thing.
So I think, if we kind of justback out for a second and talk
about what are we really talkingabout?
We're talking about giving kidsa chance to move their bodies.
We're giving kids a chance totap into their breath and maybe
(07:26):
take the first full, deep breaththat they've taken all day when
they're in a stressfulsituation at school or at home.
Giving them ways to recognizetheir breath and then use their
breath to upregulate ordownregulate their bodies.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Sorry for the interruption.
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Now back to the episode.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
And then mindfulness is really just the ability to
check in and see what ishappening in any given moment
without it being good or bad,and so a lot of times people
think, oh, mindfulness isrelaxation and calming and
everything like that.
It can be, you can feel calmerfrom doing mindfulness.
But really the beauty ofmindfulness is just being able
(08:40):
to check in to see what ishappening inside you or what is
happening around you and atschool.
That can look like a kid isupset or angry because a teacher
caught them looking at theirphone, or a kid took their toy.
If they're a younger kid orthey're angry about something
that happened at lunch or athome, being able to identify,
(09:01):
I'm feeling upset and I'm sweatyand my face is red, red and I
have a lump in my throat becauseor maybe even not even because
just this is how I'm feeling.
And then they can take the nextstep and think okay, why might
that be and what can I do aboutit?
And then using the tools ofmovement and focus and breath
(09:22):
work can help to get kids calmerand adults but we're talking
about kids here, you know calmerand ready to learn or meeting
the needs of the situation.
So really, I think it's reallyimportant to think about why are
we even talking about this andthat before we even get into how
do you incorporate this intothe classroom?
(09:42):
Because the last thing teachersneed, as you know, is another
thing to work into their schoolday without it being a win-win,
and so that's a big part of myjob is just explaining that
these are tools that can be usedto get everybody ready to be in
a room together, to be incommunity, to learn and to get
along and establish connectionsand then do what they need to be
(10:04):
doing or want to be doing atthat moment.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
And I think even to answer your question.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Oh yeah, Go ahead.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
No, you got it.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
And then to answer your question about how can
people work this into teachersor educators work this into
their classroom.
You know, I think the thing tostart with is to take out the
catch words, right, take out thewords yoga and mindfulness.
Really, just start with.
How can you incorporatemovement into your classroom,
whether or not you know yoga orhave a yoga practice yourself as
(10:35):
the teacher?
How can you incorporatemovement into the classroom when
you have those early childhoodclassrooms?
This is super easy.
You have a book that hasanimals in it and instead of
having everybody sit on thecircle time rug quietly with
their hands in their lapswithout moving, listening to the
story about whatever it isyou're trying to teach, let the
kids incorporate some movementin.
(10:55):
There's animals in the book.
Guess what?
Everybody gets to be the animal.
If you know the yoga pose thatcorresponds with the animal,
because so many poses do great,you can teach it to them.
If not, you can let the kidscreate their own movement to go
along with it, and then they getto be the teacher.
They get to help to incorporatethat in.
If there's something where acharacter in a book is smelling
(11:19):
something or observing something, you can incorporate a breath
into that page and so now you'rehaving all the kids practice in
a moment of calm, the breathwork and so that they have it in
their toolbox when they areupset, you know, during snack
time or lunchtime.
That's another greatopportunity for younger
classrooms to incorporate thisin.
(11:39):
If everybody's eating the samesnack, or even different snacks,
allowing them to close theireyes and experience the senses
what does this taste like?
What does it smell like?
Incorporating the senses intowhat you're doing is a great way
to start to build thosemindfulness muscles for kids to
tap into what is happening rightnow.
So the younger classrooms it'svery easy.
(12:00):
There's yoga pose cards thatyou can get.
There's even yoga focused booksthat you could incorporate into
your classroom that have theposes right in there.
So just to getting gettinggiving kids a chance to move
their bodies you know now I'm ona soapbox, but kids at younger
and younger ages are required tosit in chairs for more and more
parts of lengths of their dayand so their bodies change
(12:23):
because of that.
We got to give kids a chance tomove.
So that's my big plug there Inolder classrooms, elementary
school, even into the youngermiddle school any game that you
can play with kids that you doplay with kids in a classroom if
you can incorporate movement insome way, even if it's directly
tied to your academic lessonamazing, that's great.
(12:46):
Spelling is a very easy way toincorporate movement in.
If you're going to play swingman and the kids are guessing
the letters of the game insteadof them guessing it with their
mouths, have them make the shapewith their body and then now
they're absorbing the lettershapes in a different way and
then they're getting somemovement in.
Another really great way to usebreath work in a classroom is
(13:10):
to let kids make something movewith their breath.
So if you have something like afeather or a straw, you can
have them like, blow it across adesk or up into the air.
Otherwise, bunch up a Kleenexor a little piece of paper, a
Post-it note, let them playvolleyball.
By blowing it back and forth.
Again, you're getting thatmovement in, you're getting the
breath work in and kids aregoing to feel better when you
(13:34):
give them a chance to do thisand then they are going to be
more ready to learn and ready tobe in community in the
classroom in a constructive way.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
And I think that's the thing a lot of teachers are
scared of is they're worriedthat once kids start moving
around, that they're not goingto be able to get them back
focused.
But I think the advice I wouldgive to a teacher, hearing all
the great examples that you gavethem, is getting kids to
transition back into learning,ready to learn and, while
they're still learning, doingthose activities.
(14:04):
But getting them to transitionis something that we also have
to teach them.
So it's a matter of totallyhaving them do these activities
and then teaching them.
Ok, when I say level one, youknow I'm going to give you 15
seconds to get back in yourdesks, back ready to learn, and
then that's something that wehave to continue to continue to
practice.
And I think that is the fear oftransitioning the students back,
(14:25):
the fear of transitioning thestudents back.
When I spend time in classrooms, the majority of time that I
see wasted in schools is duringtransitions, and I think the
main reason is that we don'tteach teachers how to teach
their students how to transition.
We expect that they should justbe able to do it, but you have
first graders, second graders,third graders all the way up to
(14:48):
high schoolers, like we have tobe teaching this skill where we
can do these activities, wherethey're blowing things around
and passing things and gettingup and moving, and then it's a
matter of having a routine and aprocedure of when I say or when
I do this, that means we have Xamount of seconds to get back
into the seat, and you see a lotof that as younger grades.
(15:08):
But as kids get older, themovement gets less and less, and
it's so weird to me, but I alsothink that's why, as kids get
older, they don't like school asmuch.
Because you get to middle school, the only time you're moving is
in gym class.
Otherwise you're being told tosit still, listen, and as human
beings we are not wired to justsit and listen.
(15:29):
We're wired to move, haveactivity.
Our bodies are built to move.
When we move we feel better.
So that's one of the challengesthat I have personally seen
that I think teachers can focuson.
These activities that Jamie issharing are things that can help
make your day easier, becausewhen a lot of students are
struggling, it's because theyfeel restless and we've had them
(15:52):
sit in the same spot for solong, whether it's on the carpet
and a desk but like get thesekids moving in the class.
Your days will go so muchsmoother.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Yeah, totally, and you know there's this smoother
yeah, totally, and you knowthere's this.
You reminded me of this quotethat I heard many years ago and
it's like carried me through allof all of the work that I'm
doing, and it's that when youchange the way that a child
physically feels in the placethey're learning, you've now
changed their relationship withlearning.
And when you think about a kidwho maybe does need more
(16:26):
movement I mean we all needmovement, but some kids do need
more movement and you've toldthem to just sit still and
they've gotten yelled at everytime they've tapped their foot
or every time they've, you know,tossed a pen, twiddle the
pencil around or anything likethat.
You there.
There's no way that they'regoing to feel good about
learning when they're notfeeling physically good where
they're learning.
And so giving kids a chance tomove, it makes them physically
(16:48):
feel better in the place thatthey're learning and so they're
going to be they're going tofeel better about learning.
I mean along those lines, if youare in a classroom and you
don't have time to get them upand playing volleyball with a
feather in the room, you can dosmall things, like there's chair
yoga cards that are a greatresource for a teacher that
doesn't have a yoga practicethemselves.
But basically, for any quotetypical yoga pose that you'd see
(17:11):
in any Western yoga class,there is a chair equivalent of
it and that has the samephysical benefits.
And so, for example, if you'redoing forward fold that's when
you stand up straight and thenbend down and reach towards your
toes you can do that same thingin a chair, and so you can get
kids to stay in their chairs butget experience those same
(17:33):
benefits.
Or like cat cow pose whenyou're you know, if you're
familiar with yoga, a way to doin a chair is just have kids put
their hands on their knees andbring their chin up to the sky
and take a deep breath and thenarch their back.
You know, there's so many waysthat you could incorporate
movement in.
And then the piece that yousaid the teachers are kind of
afraid to welcome movementbecause, you know getting them
(17:56):
to go back to stillness can bereally hard.
One of the best pieces of am Ifrozen again One, you're good,
okay One of the best pieces ofpracticing yoga and mindfulness
is that kids do learn toup-regulate and down-regulate
their energy.
(18:16):
Regulation is kind of like a hotword right now, and really the
best way that I can describe itis that kids and adults, when
they're regulated, you're ableto do what you need to or want
to be doing without a bodyprocess getting in the way.
If you're dysregulated, there'ssome body process that's going
on, that's getting in the way ofwhat you need to or want to be
doing.
And so my big plug would be,even if for a little bit at the
(18:41):
very beginning, that invitingmovement in does make things a
little bit higher energy in theroom.
As you practice it with yourkids, they're going to be more
aware of their bodies andthey're going to be more aware
of their breath and then how touse those as tools to bring the
energy up and bring the energyback down.
And so it is going to take somepractice, but the dividends are
(19:02):
just so huge from kids learninghow to bring your energy up and
back down and, of coursethere's some movement that's
going to be more activating andsome movement that's going to be
more calming, and with time youcan see how your students react
to that.
But that would be.
My big plug is that in the endit is a win.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
And, like the, worried about them getting back
to still.
What are other challenges thatyou've seen as someone that's
done this with a lot of students, a lot of different ages?
What are some of the challengesthat could be presented if a
teacher is trying to do thesetype of mindfulness activities?
What are some challenges thatyou've seen and how are ways a
(19:45):
teacher could navigate throughthat?
Because what I don't want in youit's kind of what you were
sharing in the beginning.
We don't want it to just becomeanother thing for our classroom
.
So what we've seen with otherthings, the teachers hit a
roadblock and then it just well,let me just go back to what I
was doing, because this is goingto be a challenge and I just
don't want a challenge.
So, if there's a challenge thatcomes up, what are some of the
(20:05):
challenges that you've seen andhow can an educator navigate
them to make sure that this issomething that they can do in
their classroom, even if it'sjust a couple minutes between
transitioning between things.
What are some of the challengesand how can they navigate that?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yeah, I think that's a great question.
I think first it's recognizingwhen it can be helpful, and
that's just kind of comes withpractice and there's resources
out there.
Another challenge is, you know,anytime we're going to get kids
(20:52):
to do anything, we have toreally sell it, and so I think
that it can be a challenge.
If the teacher is eitherunfamiliar with it or they're
themselves resistant to it,You're not going to sell it hard
enough to the kids.
And, like I said, some of thishas been just like shoved down
the throat of kids and sothey're going to be like, oh, I
(21:12):
don't want to do that.
And so just like, even ifyou're not using the words, like
we're going to do mindfulnessright now or we're going to
meditate right now, just explainthe activity or what you want
them to do in a reallyenthusiastic way can get the
kids to buy in.
So I always tell my traineeslike, sell it harder.
You know like you get excitedabout it and they will too.
So I think that's one.
(21:32):
And then the other one is justabout communicating what you're
doing with parents, making surethat parents of your students
are aware of what you're doingand why, and so kind of coming
up with a little bit of anexplanation.
I think that the word yoga, forsome families that it's not
welcome, based on all differentfactors, whether it's just that
they don't know what's going onwith it really, or there's a
(21:54):
religious component to it, andso I think some schools that's
something that I've seen is whenmy company has gone into
schools some schools have askedus to use more secular wording
and things like that, and sothat's just something to be
aware of.
Your setting, the toolsthemselves, the strategies
themselves, are completelysecular and, you know, are
(22:17):
really beneficial for people tolearn and practice.
How much of the background ofwhere it came from that you want
to incorporate in.
That is something that you haveto know your setting, and that
can, I guess, be one otherchallenge that educators might
face.
But again, if you're talkingabout incorporating more
movement and awareness aboutyour breath and tapping into
what's going on in your body andaround you, that's something
(22:40):
that I mean it's hard to arguewith because it really does,
like I said, pay big dividends.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah, and when you're talking about dividends, what
are really some of the thingsthat you have seen?
What are some of the impacts?
Because when we're talkingeducation, there's got to be
measurables, so what?
Are some of the measurableimpacts that you have seen with
schools that have utilized yourprogram and students that have
utilized your program.
What are some of those impactsthat you have personally seen?
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Well, yeah, so one thing that you see kind of right
away is that kids start toidentify like I'm really bad,
I'm going to take a deep breath,and so that's like the very
kind of like lowest hangingfruit is getting kids to
identify how they're feeling andthen do something about it.
And that comes, I mean, prettyearly when you start bringing
these kids into tools, to thesetools to kids, these tools to
(23:30):
kids.
You start to see kids go tohelp each other in that way,
which is really cool.
They might, you know, noticethat a kid needs to move and
then go to them and ask them todo a partner pose or some sort
of other fun movement.
Or, again, you know, notice howa kid is feeling and go to try
to help them.
So those are some of like thefirst things that you see Big
(23:52):
picture.
I mean, think about the lasttime you tried to do some
computer work and you were likeso pissed off about something
that happened in your day, right, and like that's impossible,
you're not going to get anythingdone.
And so that's the same withkids, especially in those older
grades.
You know what happens.
There's so much social pressure,there's so much that goes on at
school.
For them that isn't justclassroom learning, and so
(24:13):
giving them ways to kind of turnoff what's going on outside of
the classroom, tap into what'sgoing on inside the classroom,
whether that be that they'restretching their neck in the way
that they learned in a class or, do you know, moving their legs
in some in a way that feelsgood, or taking a few deep
breaths in a way that feels good, that can just that's sort of.
The next level is like you knowthat the kids can focus better
(24:36):
on their work.
They can focus better on whatthe teacher is saying.
They're more likely to respondto a teacher or a classmate in a
way that's productive insteadof bursting out, and there's
reasons for that behavior.
That kids are acting that way,you know.
And so if we can give themtools to identify that, it
becomes a language of theclassroom, you know everybody
(25:01):
starts to understand that thisis what we're going to do in
this moment and really justhumanizes emotions and
experiences, and it's not justabout compliance with whatever
the teacher's saying in thatmoment.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
So yeah, yeah, and I think the emotions aspect is
something that it gets such anegative view.
But, like, emotions aren't verynormal.
All of them are very normal andone of the tools that I've
shared with educators over theyears which I think is very
valuable hearing some of thethings that you're sharing is
like a mood chart or a moodmeter where, just even for the
little little kids, it can be assimple as eight different faces
(25:31):
with different expressions andsaying how are you feeling right
now.
Where, just even for the littlelittle kids, it can be as
simple as eight different faceswith different expressions and
saying how are you feeling rightnow, and even if they can't
identify, you know that it'sdisturbed they can see those
little emoji faces and know,like that emoji is how I'm
feeling.
But I think that is just such avaluable thing, not only for
even for students, but forteachers and people, because I,
(25:53):
especially our generation I feellike emotions were not
something that was like reallydiscussed when we were kids.
It was just like whateveryou're going through, just deal
with it.
That's especially for youngboys.
It's like toughen up and youcan't be sad and what are you,
what are you angry for?
Like and also understanding,like what is a big deal to an
(26:15):
eight-year-old yes, a student.
Stealing my bag of Skittles isnot something that a 40-year-old
needs to have a meltdown over,but to that eight-year-old those
Skittles are their world and Ithink for educators to also
understand.
You've had 40 or however manyyears of lived experience, like
(26:36):
there was a time where youprobably cried when someone took
your Skittles too, and I thinkreally getting our students to
understand what emotions they'reexperiencing is like the one of
the probably the best for, evenif they can't do all the other
activities, it's like can youget your students to identify
how they're feeling when the daystarts?
You know, it's little thingslike that.
I think that can make thisprocess easier for a teacher
(27:00):
that's listening of.
You know and I can.
I'll share some of theresources in the comments as
well, some that I have had.
I'll share those in thedescription.
But just being able to get yourkids to know I'm angry, I'm
frustrated, I'm tired, I'mhungry, whatever those emotions
are like, it's not a bad thingthat they're feeling them.
Usually, where they become abad thing is when a student
(27:21):
doesn't know how to manage andidentify those emotions.
So that's kind of my take on it.
And even hearing what you'resaying of like getting them to
know their emotions is like thatfirst step before.
Okay, now you're angry, likeokay, we've identified that.
Now let's take some breaths andlike understand that it's okay
to be angry, that's a humanemotion, but let's take some
(27:43):
breaths and let's calm our heartrate down.
And those are things that I'veseen.
We had a first grade class thatdid yoga and I thought it was
incredible because there'd bemoments where you know the class
, the levels of the classroomwere getting kind of high and
the teacher would be like aren'tyou guys?
She would dim the lights and belike you know, we're just going
to do a couple of deep breaths,we're going to get ourselves
back together, then we're goingto get back to our learning.
And it was cool to watchbecause the moment only took one
(28:06):
minute.
But it's the difference betweenbeing proactive for a teacher
of like OK, I can see that we'reall getting a little worked up,
let's reel ourselves back in,versus letting it linger for
five to 10 minutes.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
So that was a cool thing that I've seen kind of
tying with some of the thingsthat you are sharing.
Yeah, I love that.
I think that's like a verycommon you know, without even
that much time spent on thesepractices, like that is
something that you can see in aclassroom very early on and a
very young age as kids, yeah,they can settle back down and,
like you were saying, I mean,even before kids are identifying
their emotions, you can havethem identify how their body is
(28:44):
actually feeling.
You know, like there are somany sensations that are tied to
emotions and so even justhaving kids recognize like, oh,
you know, I'm noticing thisabout my body, ok, what might
that mean?
What can I do about it, youknow, and so that's kind of a
feedback loop, is and it's sucha great skill for life.
I'll also share some.
(29:04):
I have a mindfulness in theclassroom starter kit which is
like a PDF version that I cantotally send you and you can,
you can link for anybody that'sinterested, but so I'll.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I'll put that if you're listening, check in the
comments or in the description,or however they do it these days
.
It'll be somewhere on thisplatform you're listening to.
I'll make sure that I put thatresource there so someone
listening is able to gather that, and we are going to get ready.
To wrap up, I would like you tolet everyone know where they
(29:35):
can find you at.
I know we talked about thepodcast, but I would love if
there's an educator out therethat's listening and they have
some questions or they want somemore resources, or their school
is looking at adding yourprogram to what they already are
doing.
I would love for you to nowtake some time.
Just let everyone know wherethey can find all of the things.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Jamie Gale to now take some time.
Just let everyone know wherethey can find all of the things.
Jamie, gale, okay, well, thankyou for having me.
I really enjoyed talking to youalways and this is one of my
very favorite topics, so I'mreally glad to chat about it.
If you are looking to gettrained in how to do this with
your students, the best place togo would be to
meetmeinchildsposecom.
That's the name of my kids yogateacher training.
(30:15):
I collaborate with an amazingentrepreneur in Chicago who also
has a kids yoga company, and wedo trainings for educators or
clinicians anybody who workswith kids.
If you want to really know howto bring these tools on a really
robust level to kids like ifyou're a school administrator
and you're like it would begreat for one or two of my staff
members to be really preparedto lead the way on this, that's
(30:36):
a great place to start.
My kids yoga company is calledLittle Om Big Om, and so at
littleombigomcom, if you're inthe Madison area.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Can you spell that, jamie?
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Yes, yeah, so the word is om, o-m, like om, you
know.
So it'sLE the word littleL-I-T-T-L-E-O-M, big
B-I-G-O-Mcom, so yeah, so that's.
If you want to learn about mykids yoga program, that would be
the place to go.
We're in the Madison area andmy main Instagram handle is
(31:08):
JamieGaleLLC.
If you want to reach out andchat, that's probably the best
way to reach me.
I've got a bunch of differenthandles for all the different
programs, but that's sort of mycentral one that I just started
so you can reach out to me there.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I was going to say the only person with more counts
than me is you, so I don't knowanyone that does more than me,
and you're right above me, soyou are very busy, so I
definitely appreciate you takingtime to jump on Before we get
off.
I want to do a rapid fire.
You didn't know this was coming.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Oh, I didn't know this was coming, no Okay.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
You are having dinner tonight and you can bring three
people in the entire world,dead or alive.
Who are those three peoplesitting at the dinner table with
you?
Speaker 2 (31:47):
I mean I have to say my three kids, right.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
You don't have to, unless they're listening.
I mean, you're probably goingto have dinner with them.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
anyways, I'll say them that's the safest answer,
I'll say my three amazingteenage children.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Sounds good.
The next question what is yourfavorite season and why?
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Oh summer.
I direct a summer day camp andcamp is the best, the very best
thing in the world.
It's a creative arts summer daycamp, so camp season is the
best, the very best thing in theworld.
It's a creative arts summer daycamp, so camp season is the
best, so it has to be summer.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
And then the last question if there was one thing
that you could change abouteducation, what would it be?
Any one thing you snap yourfinger and not teacher pay,
because I feel like that'salways the easy answer not,
teacher pay.
Teachers are alreadymillionaires in this fantasy
world that we're sharing.
What's one thing you wouldchange?
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Okay, the thing I would change is that I would
change it so that the kids couldbe pushed harder in the areas
that come naturally to them andwe could ease up on them in the
areas that don't come asnaturally to them.
It's like that quote that I'malways quoting and I usually
botch it, but it's like if a kidis great at science and
(33:02):
terrible at math, get them ascience tutor, not a math tutor,
because they're probably goingto do something that's aligned
with the things that they'renaturally drawn to and talented
at down the road.
So I think that's what I wouldchange is letting letting kids
really excel where they arenaturally drawn to, because
they're going to like school somuch more.
If we just lay off of them inthe areas you know, get
everybody meeting standards, butbeyond that, let's let them fly
where they're really in theareas they really love.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah Well, jamie, thank you for joining me.
I appreciate you for takingtime to be on and for those that
are listening.
If you have not, please like,please subscribe.
And before I jump off, I dowant to give a shout out to our
sponsor, be Well Teacher Box.
We're talking about mindfulness.
Be Well Teacher Box is a giftbox for educators.
Bewellteachercom.
You can use code TEACHERSED tosave $7 off your box.
(33:48):
Order that today.
Use code TEACHERSED.
Jamie, it was an honor havingyou.
It's an honor to see you.
I love, after 20 plus years,that we're still connected,
we're having these conversations, and thank you for all the hard
work that you do in the spaceof education.
Even though you're nottechnically in the education,
you still are doing a lot toeducate our teachers and educate
(34:10):
our students.
So thank you for all of yourhard work.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Thanks for having me and thanks, I'm so glad we got
to chat.
Thanks, eddie.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Yep Like subscribe.
Make sure you go, follow all ofJamie's podcast, connect with
her if you have any questionsand we will see you all next
Sunday.
Bye.
Welcome to the Teachers Ed Podcast.
I'm your host, edward Eshazer.
Teachers Ed Podcast was createdto create a space for the best
and brightest in education tocome to learn, to be inspired,
to grow.
Today's guest is Jamie Gales.
She is an educator and anentrepreneur dedicated to giving
(00:31):
kids opportunities to getmoving and get creative.
Jamie owns a kids yoga programand co-directs a creative art
summer camp and afterschoolprogram that together serve
thousands of kids per year.
Jamie is also the co-founderand co-director of a kids yoga
teacher training and a campcounselor training, and she
supports other business owningmoms and leaders through
(00:53):
professional developmentprograms as a podcast network
that she owns that I've alsobeen a guest on, so go download
and check out that podcast.
Jamie is also the mom to threeactive teenagers.
She has her BA from theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
go Badgers and has been teachingkids for over 20 years in a
wide variety of enrichmentspaces.
Jamie is also someone that Igrew up and went to high school
(01:16):
with, so it is an honor to haveyou on the podcast.
Welcome, jamie.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Thanks, addy, I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, I'm glad that you were able to jump on.
Can you just start by lettingeveryone know before you too
much about yourself what is yourpodcast, so they can pause this
, go and find it, subscribe toit, before we even get into
anything else.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, awesome, thank you.
I actually have two podcastsOne that you were on I was so
happy to have you on it's calledthe Follow the Leaders podcast
and it's just all aboutleadership and all things like
think about how I built thisshow, but for leaders, so
developing leaders and rockingout in that way.
And then I have another podcast.
It's called the In it for Youthpodcast and it's for
professionals and people thatwork with and serve youth.
(01:59):
So we talk to lots of differentyouth serving professionals and
get their perspectives.
So, thanks, thanks for thethanks for the plug.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
So pause this episode , go subscribe, then come back.
Don't go listen to it becauseyou're going to forget about
this episode.
Just subscribe, come back,listen to this one, then go back
and listen to those.
That's right.
But, Jamie, it's an honor tohave you on.
I enjoyed being on your podcastand when we were bringing these
episodes back out.
One of the things and one ofthe main reasons I wanted to
(02:27):
bring you on for people to hearis because I know the work that
you do in mindfulness.
So, to start, I would love foryou just to kind of I gave you
an introduction just tell thelisteners a little more about
what you do.
But then I really think thatyour expertise in mindfulness
with students is something that,with all of the SEL
(02:48):
conversations that are being hadand teachers trying to figure
out what to do with their kidsand their kids are struggling, I
just thought you'd be a greatresource for them to lean into.
But to start, tell the peoplejust a little about yourself,
what you do, and then let's jumpinto a conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Awesome.
Well, yeah, so I own a companycalled Little Om Big Om and we
do yoga and mindfulness withkids and families all over the
Madison area.
I'm in Madison and I have ateam of instructors and we go
into schools and camps andlibraries and businesses and
some studios to bring yogaclasses to kids and families,
and a big part of what we do iswork with groups of kids in
(03:25):
schools and camps and otherinformal ed settings to bring in
the practice of yoga andmeditation, mindfulness and
that's.
You know, when I started this11 years ago I had to explain
like, what does it even mean?
People have thought kids doingyoga meant in rows on mats in a
(03:45):
heated studio.
No, obviously not.
But now we all kind of knowwhat it is and that it's a good
thing.
So my job is really to giveteachers really hands-on ways to
bring these things into theirclassroom, whether it's through
us coming in and leading theactivities or giving the tools
directly to classroom teachersand other professionals that
(04:06):
work with kids so that they canincorporate into what's already
happening in their classrooms.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And when you think about and I know you were
talking about when you started11 years ago how much different
it is, do you feel that COVIDand just the acknowledgement of
students' social and emotionalneeds has something that has
benefited you and that sounds soweird to say because it's
(04:35):
benefited what you're doing, butI think it's something that
we've glossed over in schoolsfor so long that COVID finally
highlighted that, hey, our kidshave basic needs other than
academics that need to be met.
So, when you think about howlong you've been doing this,
what were some of the thingsthat COVID changed?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
when you think about how it's pivoted not pivoted,
but how it's altered what you'vebeen doing- yeah, that's a
great question and I will sayanother, besides just the
emotional needs tied to that, somuch is movement and I do think
that that's something thatanybody who was at home with
kids during COVID saw.
You know, the amount of movementthat kids were doing all of us
(05:14):
were doing just plummeted duringCOVID.
We were stuck at home, weweren't even kids were not even
getting the movement from goingfrom one classroom to the
lunchroom, to the gym that theywere in a normal day-to-day
thing, let alone all theirsocial things playing at the
park with kids going on playdates.
So I do think that that is onebig thing that I've seen is that
(05:36):
people are seeing the impact ofwhat losing those opportunities
to move had and then alsorealizing, ok, we really, really
need to be working these thingsinto the classroom, because we
all did go through thecollective trauma of COVID and
the lockdown and all of that,and so we need to tend to kids'
physical and emotional needs.
And that is one of the bigreasons why I'm still so
(05:59):
passionate about this is becauseusing yoga and mindfulness
strategies in a way that is funand playful and developmentally
appropriate for kids can be away for kids to access those
huge needs that they have or getthem.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I guess I should say and there's teachers that are
listening, because, like yousaid, if you would have asked me
a few years back, like puttingyoga in a classroom, I would
just automatically assume thatwas lining a bunch of mats up,
putting the kids in rows andkind of doing that aspect.
What are some of the thingsthat, if there's a teacher, an
(06:35):
educator, that's listening, whatare some simple ways that
someone could start doing someof these activities right now in
their classroom today?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah.
So I think, before we dive intothe like, here's how we do it I
want to take a minute to justkind of talk about.
What are we even really talkingabout when we say yoga and
mindfulness?
Because kids, because teachersand schools have become more
aware that this is somethingthat can be beneficial.
It's in sometimes it's likeshove down kids' throats like
they need to do mindfulness, oreven the word yoga Sometimes
(07:06):
kids might be like, oh, I didn'tlike it the last time they
tried it, that kind of thing.
So I think, if we kind of justback out for a second and talk
about what are we really talkingabout?
We're talking about giving kidsa chance to move their bodies.
We're giving kids a chance totap into their breath and maybe
(07:26):
take the first full, deep breaththat they've taken all day when
they're in a stressfulsituation at school or at home.
Giving them ways to recognizetheir breath and then use their
breath to upregulate ordownregulate their bodies.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Sorry for the interruption.
I want to take a moment torecognize the sponsor of the
Teachers Ed podcast.
Be Well Teacher Box, a gift boxto help teachers intentionally
focus on their wellness.
By using code Teacher's Ed, youcan save $7 on your box.
Teacher's Ed all one wordwwwbewellteachercom.
(07:59):
The box has over $100 in giftsand it's going on for $52 by
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Code Teacher Zed all one word.
Now back to the episode.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
And then mindfulness is really just the ability to
check in and see what ishappening in any given moment
without it being good or bad,and so a lot of times people
think, oh, mindfulness isrelaxation and calming and
everything like that.
It can be, you can feel calmerfrom doing mindfulness.
But really the beauty ofmindfulness is just being able
(08:40):
to check in to see what ishappening inside you or what is
happening around you and atschool.
That can look like a kid isupset or angry because a teacher
caught them looking at theirphone, or a kid took their toy.
If they're a younger kid orthey're angry about something
that happened at lunch or athome, being able to identify,
(09:01):
I'm feeling upset and I'm sweatyand my face is red, red and I
have a lump in my throat becauseor maybe even not even because
just this is how I'm feeling.
And then they can take the nextstep and think okay, why might
that be and what can I do aboutit?
And then using the tools ofmovement and focus and breath
(09:22):
work can help to get kids calmerand adults but we're talking
about kids here, you know calmerand ready to learn or meeting
the needs of the situation.
So really, I think it's reallyimportant to think about why are
we even talking about this andthat before we even get into how
do you incorporate this intothe classroom?
(09:42):
Because the last thing teachersneed, as you know, is another
thing to work into their schoolday without it being a win-win,
and so that's a big part of myjob is just explaining that
these are tools that can be usedto get everybody ready to be in
a room together, to be incommunity, to learn and to get
along and establish connectionsand then do what they need to be
(10:04):
doing or want to be doing atthat moment.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
And I think even to answer your question.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Oh yeah, Go ahead.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
No, you got it.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
And then to answer your question about how can
people work this into teachersor educators work this into
their classroom.
You know, I think the thing tostart with is to take out the
catch words, right, take out thewords yoga and mindfulness.
Really, just start with.
How can you incorporatemovement into your classroom,
whether or not you know yoga orhave a yoga practice yourself as
(10:35):
the teacher?
How can you incorporatemovement into the classroom when
you have those early childhoodclassrooms?
This is super easy.
You have a book that hasanimals in it and instead of
having everybody sit on thecircle time rug quietly with
their hands in their lapswithout moving, listening to the
story about whatever it isyou're trying to teach, let the
kids incorporate some movementin.
(10:55):
There's animals in the book.
Guess what?
Everybody gets to be the animal.
If you know the yoga pose thatcorresponds with the animal,
because so many poses do great,you can teach it to them.
If not, you can let the kidscreate their own movement to go
along with it, and then they getto be the teacher.
They get to help to incorporatethat in.
If there's something where acharacter in a book is smelling
(11:19):
something or observing something, you can incorporate a breath
into that page and so now you'rehaving all the kids practice in
a moment of calm, the breathwork and so that they have it in
their toolbox when they areupset, you know, during snack
time or lunchtime.
That's another greatopportunity for younger
classrooms to incorporate thisin.
(11:39):
If everybody's eating the samesnack, or even different snacks,
allowing them to close theireyes and experience the senses
what does this taste like?
What does it smell like?
Incorporating the senses intowhat you're doing is a great way
to start to build thosemindfulness muscles for kids to
tap into what is happening rightnow.
So the younger classrooms it'svery easy.
(12:00):
There's yoga pose cards thatyou can get.
There's even yoga focused booksthat you could incorporate into
your classroom that have theposes right in there.
So just to getting gettinggiving kids a chance to move
their bodies you know now I'm ona soapbox, but kids at younger
and younger ages are required tosit in chairs for more and more
parts of lengths of their dayand so their bodies change
(12:23):
because of that.
We got to give kids a chance tomove.
So that's my big plug there Inolder classrooms, elementary
school, even into the youngermiddle school any game that you
can play with kids that you doplay with kids in a classroom if
you can incorporate movement insome way, even if it's directly
tied to your academic lessonamazing, that's great.
(12:46):
Spelling is a very easy way toincorporate movement in.
If you're going to play swingman and the kids are guessing
the letters of the game insteadof them guessing it with their
mouths, have them make the shapewith their body and then now
they're absorbing the lettershapes in a different way and
then they're getting somemovement in.
Another really great way to usebreath work in a classroom is
(13:10):
to let kids make something movewith their breath.
So if you have something like afeather or a straw, you can
have them like, blow it across adesk or up into the air.
Otherwise, bunch up a Kleenexor a little piece of paper, a
Post-it note, let them playvolleyball.
By blowing it back and forth.
Again, you're getting thatmovement in, you're getting the
breath work in and kids aregoing to feel better when you
(13:34):
give them a chance to do thisand then they are going to be
more ready to learn and ready tobe in community in the
classroom in a constructive way.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
And I think that's the thing a lot of teachers are
scared of is they're worriedthat once kids start moving
around, that they're not goingto be able to get them back
focused.
But I think the advice I wouldgive to a teacher, hearing all
the great examples that you gavethem, is getting kids to
transition back into learning,ready to learn and, while
they're still learning, doingthose activities.
(14:04):
But getting them to transitionis something that we also have
to teach them.
So it's a matter of totallyhaving them do these activities
and then teaching them.
Ok, when I say level one, youknow I'm going to give you 15
seconds to get back in yourdesks, back ready to learn, and
then that's something that wehave to continue to continue to
practice.
And I think that is the fear oftransitioning the students back,
(14:25):
the fear of transitioning thestudents back.
When I spend time in classrooms, the majority of time that I
see wasted in schools is duringtransitions, and I think the
main reason is that we don'tteach teachers how to teach
their students how to transition.
We expect that they should justbe able to do it, but you have
first graders, second graders,third graders all the way up to
(14:48):
high schoolers, like we have tobe teaching this skill where we
can do these activities, wherethey're blowing things around
and passing things and gettingup and moving, and then it's a
matter of having a routine and aprocedure of when I say or when
I do this, that means we have Xamount of seconds to get back
into the seat, and you see a lotof that as younger grades.
(15:08):
But as kids get older, themovement gets less and less, and
it's so weird to me, but I alsothink that's why, as kids get
older, they don't like school asmuch.
Because you get to middle school, the only time you're moving is
in gym class.
Otherwise you're being told tosit still, listen, and as human
beings we are not wired to justsit and listen.
(15:29):
We're wired to move, haveactivity.
Our bodies are built to move.
When we move we feel better.
So that's one of the challengesthat I have personally seen
that I think teachers can focuson.
These activities that Jamie issharing are things that can help
make your day easier, becausewhen a lot of students are
struggling, it's because theyfeel restless and we've had them
(15:52):
sit in the same spot for solong, whether it's on the carpet
and a desk but like get thesekids moving in the class.
Your days will go so muchsmoother.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Yeah, totally, and you know there's this smoother
yeah, totally, and you knowthere's this.
You reminded me of this quotethat I heard many years ago and
it's like carried me through allof all of the work that I'm
doing, and it's that when youchange the way that a child
physically feels in the placethey're learning, you've now
changed their relationship withlearning.
And when you think about a kidwho maybe does need more
(16:26):
movement I mean we all needmovement, but some kids do need
more movement and you've toldthem to just sit still and
they've gotten yelled at everytime they've tapped their foot
or every time they've, you know,tossed a pen, twiddle the
pencil around or anything likethat.
You there.
There's no way that they'regoing to feel good about
learning when they're notfeeling physically good where
they're learning.
And so giving kids a chance tomove, it makes them physically
(16:48):
feel better in the place thatthey're learning and so they're
going to be they're going tofeel better about learning.
I mean along those lines, if youare in a classroom and you
don't have time to get them upand playing volleyball with a
feather in the room, you can dosmall things, like there's chair
yoga cards that are a greatresource for a teacher that
doesn't have a yoga practicethemselves.
But basically, for any quotetypical yoga pose that you'd see
(17:11):
in any Western yoga class,there is a chair equivalent of
it and that has the samephysical benefits.
And so, for example, if you'redoing forward fold that's when
you stand up straight and thenbend down and reach towards your
toes you can do that same thingin a chair, and so you can get
kids to stay in their chairs butget experience those same
(17:33):
benefits.
Or like cat cow pose whenyou're you know, if you're
familiar with yoga, a way to doin a chair is just have kids put
their hands on their knees andbring their chin up to the sky
and take a deep breath and thenarch their back.
You know, there's so many waysthat you could incorporate
movement in.
And then the piece that yousaid the teachers are kind of
afraid to welcome movementbecause, you know getting them
(17:56):
to go back to stillness can bereally hard.
One of the best pieces of am Ifrozen again One, you're good,
okay One of the best pieces ofpracticing yoga and mindfulness
is that kids do learn toup-regulate and down-regulate
their energy.
(18:16):
Regulation is kind of like a hotword right now, and really the
best way that I can describe itis that kids and adults, when
they're regulated, you're ableto do what you need to or want
to be doing without a bodyprocess getting in the way.
If you're dysregulated, there'ssome body process that's going
on, that's getting in the way ofwhat you need to or want to be
doing.
And so my big plug would be,even if for a little bit at the
(18:41):
very beginning, that invitingmovement in does make things a
little bit higher energy in theroom.
As you practice it with yourkids, they're going to be more
aware of their bodies andthey're going to be more aware
of their breath and then how touse those as tools to bring the
energy up and bring the energyback down.
And so it is going to take somepractice, but the dividends are
(19:02):
just so huge from kids learninghow to bring your energy up and
back down and, of coursethere's some movement that's
going to be more activating andsome movement that's going to be
more calming, and with time youcan see how your students react
to that.
But that would be.
My big plug is that in the endit is a win.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
And, like the, worried about them getting back
to still.
What are other challenges thatyou've seen as someone that's
done this with a lot of students, a lot of different ages?
What are some of the challengesthat could be presented if a
teacher is trying to do thesetype of mindfulness activities?
What are some challenges thatyou've seen and how are ways a
(19:45):
teacher could navigate throughthat?
Because what I don't want in youit's kind of what you were
sharing in the beginning.
We don't want it to just becomeanother thing for our classroom
.
So what we've seen with otherthings, the teachers hit a
roadblock and then it just well,let me just go back to what I
was doing, because this is goingto be a challenge and I just
don't want a challenge.
So, if there's a challenge thatcomes up, what are some of the
(20:05):
challenges that you've seen andhow can an educator navigate
them to make sure that this issomething that they can do in
their classroom, even if it'sjust a couple minutes between
transitioning between things.
What are some of the challengesand how can they navigate that?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yeah, I think that's a great question.
I think first it's recognizingwhen it can be helpful, and
that's just kind of comes withpractice and there's resources
out there.
Another challenge is, you know,anytime we're going to get kids
(20:52):
to do anything, we have toreally sell it, and so I think
that it can be a challenge.
If the teacher is eitherunfamiliar with it or they're
themselves resistant to it,You're not going to sell it hard
enough to the kids.
And, like I said, some of thishas been just like shoved down
the throat of kids and sothey're going to be like, oh, I
(21:12):
don't want to do that.
And so just like, even ifyou're not using the words, like
we're going to do mindfulnessright now or we're going to
meditate right now, just explainthe activity or what you want
them to do in a reallyenthusiastic way can get the
kids to buy in.
So I always tell my traineeslike, sell it harder.
You know like you get excitedabout it and they will too.
So I think that's one.
(21:32):
And then the other one is justabout communicating what you're
doing with parents, making surethat parents of your students
are aware of what you're doingand why, and so kind of coming
up with a little bit of anexplanation.
I think that the word yoga, forsome families that it's not
welcome, based on all differentfactors, whether it's just that
they don't know what's going onwith it really, or there's a
(21:54):
religious component to it, andso I think some schools that's
something that I've seen is whenmy company has gone into
schools some schools have askedus to use more secular wording
and things like that, and sothat's just something to be
aware of.
Your setting, the toolsthemselves, the strategies
themselves, are completelysecular and, you know, are
(22:17):
really beneficial for people tolearn and practice.
How much of the background ofwhere it came from that you want
to incorporate in.
That is something that you haveto know your setting, and that
can, I guess, be one otherchallenge that educators might
face.
But again, if you're talkingabout incorporating more
movement and awareness aboutyour breath and tapping into
what's going on in your body andaround you, that's something
(22:40):
that I mean it's hard to arguewith because it really does,
like I said, pay big dividends.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah, and when you're talking about dividends, what
are really some of the thingsthat you have seen?
What are some of the impacts?
Because when we're talkingeducation, there's got to be
measurables, so what?
Are some of the measurableimpacts that you have seen with
schools that have utilized yourprogram and students that have
utilized your program.
What are some of those impactsthat you have personally seen?
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Well, yeah, so one thing that you see kind of right
away is that kids start toidentify like I'm really bad,
I'm going to take a deep breath,and so that's like the very
kind of like lowest hangingfruit is getting kids to
identify how they're feeling andthen do something about it.
And that comes, I mean, prettyearly when you start bringing
these kids into tools, to thesetools to kids, these tools to
(23:30):
kids.
You start to see kids go tohelp each other in that way,
which is really cool.
They might, you know, noticethat a kid needs to move and
then go to them and ask them todo a partner pose or some sort
of other fun movement.
Or, again, you know, notice howa kid is feeling and go to try
to help them.
So those are some of like thefirst things that you see Big
(23:52):
picture.
I mean, think about the lasttime you tried to do some
computer work and you were likeso pissed off about something
that happened in your day, right, and like that's impossible,
you're not going to get anythingdone.
And so that's the same withkids, especially in those older
grades.
You know what happens.
There's so much social pressure,there's so much that goes on at
school.
For them that isn't justclassroom learning, and so
(24:13):
giving them ways to kind of turnoff what's going on outside of
the classroom, tap into what'sgoing on inside the classroom,
whether that be that they'restretching their neck in the way
that they learned in a class or, do you know, moving their legs
in some in a way that feelsgood, or taking a few deep
breaths in a way that feels good, that can just that's sort of.
The next level is like you knowthat the kids can focus better
(24:36):
on their work.
They can focus better on whatthe teacher is saying.
They're more likely to respondto a teacher or a classmate in a
way that's productive insteadof bursting out, and there's
reasons for that behavior.
That kids are acting that way,you know.
And so if we can give themtools to identify that, it
becomes a language of theclassroom, you know everybody
(25:01):
starts to understand that thisis what we're going to do in
this moment and really justhumanizes emotions and
experiences, and it's not justabout compliance with whatever
the teacher's saying in thatmoment.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
So yeah, yeah, and I think the emotions aspect is
something that it gets such anegative view.
But, like, emotions aren't verynormal.
All of them are very normal andone of the tools that I've
shared with educators over theyears which I think is very
valuable hearing some of thethings that you're sharing is
like a mood chart or a moodmeter where, just even for the
little little kids, it can be assimple as eight different faces
(25:31):
with different expressions andsaying how are you feeling right
now.
Where, just even for the littlelittle kids, it can be as
simple as eight different faceswith different expressions and
saying how are you feeling rightnow, and even if they can't
identify, you know that it'sdisturbed they can see those
little emoji faces and know,like that emoji is how I'm
feeling.
But I think that is just such avaluable thing, not only for
even for students, but forteachers and people, because I,
(25:53):
especially our generation I feellike emotions were not
something that was like reallydiscussed when we were kids.
It was just like whateveryou're going through, just deal
with it.
That's especially for youngboys.
It's like toughen up and youcan't be sad and what are you,
what are you angry for?
Like and also understanding,like what is a big deal to an
(26:15):
eight-year-old yes, a student.
Stealing my bag of Skittles isnot something that a 40-year-old
needs to have a meltdown over,but to that eight-year-old those
Skittles are their world and Ithink for educators to also
understand.
You've had 40 or however manyyears of lived experience, like
(26:36):
there was a time where youprobably cried when someone took
your Skittles too, and I thinkreally getting our students to
understand what emotions they'reexperiencing is like the one of
the probably the best for, evenif they can't do all the other
activities, it's like can youget your students to identify
how they're feeling when the daystarts?
You know, it's little thingslike that.
I think that can make thisprocess easier for a teacher
(27:00):
that's listening of.
You know and I can.
I'll share some of theresources in the comments as
well, some that I have had.
I'll share those in thedescription.
But just being able to get yourkids to know I'm angry, I'm
frustrated, I'm tired, I'mhungry, whatever those emotions
are like, it's not a bad thingthat they're feeling them.
Usually, where they become abad thing is when a student
(27:21):
doesn't know how to manage andidentify those emotions.
So that's kind of my take on it.
And even hearing what you'resaying of like getting them to
know their emotions is like thatfirst step before.
Okay, now you're angry, likeokay, we've identified that.
Now let's take some breaths andlike understand that it's okay
to be angry, that's a humanemotion, but let's take some
(27:43):
breaths and let's calm our heartrate down.
And those are things that I'veseen.
We had a first grade class thatdid yoga and I thought it was
incredible because there'd bemoments where you know the class
, the levels of the classroomwere getting kind of high and
the teacher would be like aren'tyou guys?
She would dim the lights and belike you know, we're just going
to do a couple of deep breaths,we're going to get ourselves
back together, then we're goingto get back to our learning.
And it was cool to watchbecause the moment only took one
(28:06):
minute.
But it's the difference betweenbeing proactive for a teacher
of like OK, I can see that we'reall getting a little worked up,
let's reel ourselves back in,versus letting it linger for
five to 10 minutes.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
So that was a cool thing that I've seen kind of
tying with some of the thingsthat you are sharing.
Yeah, I love that.
I think that's like a verycommon you know, without even
that much time spent on thesepractices, like that is
something that you can see in aclassroom very early on and a
very young age as kids, yeah,they can settle back down and,
like you were saying, I mean,even before kids are identifying
their emotions, you can havethem identify how their body is
(28:44):
actually feeling.
You know, like there are somany sensations that are tied to
emotions and so even justhaving kids recognize like, oh,
you know, I'm noticing thisabout my body, ok, what might
that mean?
What can I do about it, youknow, and so that's kind of a
feedback loop, is and it's sucha great skill for life.
I'll also share some.
(29:04):
I have a mindfulness in theclassroom starter kit which is
like a PDF version that I cantotally send you and you can,
you can link for anybody that'sinterested, but so I'll.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I'll put that if you're listening, check in the
comments or in the description,or however they do it these days
.
It'll be somewhere on thisplatform you're listening to.
I'll make sure that I put thatresource there so someone
listening is able to gather that, and we are going to get ready.
To wrap up, I would like you tolet everyone know where they
(29:35):
can find you at.
I know we talked about thepodcast, but I would love if
there's an educator out therethat's listening and they have
some questions or they want somemore resources, or their school
is looking at adding yourprogram to what they already are
doing.
I would love for you to nowtake some time.
Just let everyone know wherethey can find all of the things.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Jamie Gale to now take some time.
Just let everyone know wherethey can find all of the things.
Jamie, gale, okay, well, thankyou for having me.
I really enjoyed talking to youalways and this is one of my
very favorite topics, so I'mreally glad to chat about it.
If you are looking to gettrained in how to do this with
your students, the best place togo would be to
meetmeinchildsposecom.
That's the name of my kids yogateacher training.
(30:15):
I collaborate with an amazingentrepreneur in Chicago who also
has a kids yoga company, and wedo trainings for educators or
clinicians anybody who workswith kids.
If you want to really know howto bring these tools on a really
robust level to kids like ifyou're a school administrator
and you're like it would begreat for one or two of my staff
members to be really preparedto lead the way on this, that's
(30:36):
a great place to start.
My kids yoga company is calledLittle Om Big Om, and so at
littleombigomcom, if you're inthe Madison area.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Can you spell that, jamie?
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Yes, yeah, so the word is om, o-m, like om, you
know.
So it'sLE the word littleL-I-T-T-L-E-O-M, big
B-I-G-O-Mcom, so yeah, so that's.
If you want to learn about mykids yoga program, that would be
the place to go.
We're in the Madison area andmy main Instagram handle is
(31:08):
JamieGaleLLC.
If you want to reach out andchat, that's probably the best
way to reach me.
I've got a bunch of differenthandles for all the different
programs, but that's sort of mycentral one that I just started
so you can reach out to me there.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I was going to say the only person with more counts
than me is you, so I don't knowanyone that does more than me,
and you're right above me, soyou are very busy, so I
definitely appreciate you takingtime to jump on Before we get
off.
I want to do a rapid fire.
You didn't know this was coming.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Oh, I didn't know this was coming, no Okay.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
You are having dinner tonight and you can bring three
people in the entire world,dead or alive.
Who are those three peoplesitting at the dinner table with
you?
Speaker 2 (31:47):
I mean I have to say my three kids, right.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
You don't have to, unless they're listening.
I mean, you're probably goingto have dinner with them.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
anyways, I'll say them that's the safest answer,
I'll say my three amazingteenage children.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Sounds good.
The next question what is yourfavorite season and why?
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Oh summer.
I direct a summer day camp andcamp is the best, the very best
thing in the world.
It's a creative arts summer daycamp, so camp season is the
best, the very best thing in theworld.
It's a creative arts summer daycamp, so camp season is the
best, so it has to be summer.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
And then the last question if there was one thing
that you could change abouteducation, what would it be?
Any one thing you snap yourfinger and not teacher pay,
because I feel like that'salways the easy answer not,
teacher pay.
Teachers are alreadymillionaires in this fantasy
world that we're sharing.
What's one thing you wouldchange?
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Okay, the thing I would change is that I would
change it so that the kids couldbe pushed harder in the areas
that come naturally to them andwe could ease up on them in the
areas that don't come asnaturally to them.
It's like that quote that I'malways quoting and I usually
botch it, but it's like if a kidis great at science and
(33:02):
terrible at math, get them ascience tutor, not a math tutor,
because they're probably goingto do something that's aligned
with the things that they'renaturally drawn to and talented
at down the road.
So I think that's what I wouldchange is letting letting kids
really excel where they arenaturally drawn to, because
they're going to like school somuch more.
If we just lay off of them inthe areas you know, get
everybody meeting standards, butbeyond that, let's let them fly
where they're really in theareas they really love.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah Well, jamie, thank you for joining me.
I appreciate you for takingtime to be on and for those that
are listening.
If you have not, please like,please subscribe.
And before I jump off, I dowant to give a shout out to our
sponsor, be Well Teacher Box.
We're talking about mindfulness.
Be Well Teacher Box is a giftbox for educators.
Bewellteachercom.
You can use code TEACHERSED tosave $7 off your box.
(33:48):
Order that today.
Use code TEACHERSED.
Jamie, it was an honor havingyou.
It's an honor to see you.
I love, after 20 plus years,that we're still connected,
we're having these conversations, and thank you for all the hard
work that you do in the spaceof education.
Even though you're nottechnically in the education,
you still are doing a lot toeducate our teachers and educate
(34:10):
our students.
So thank you for all of yourhard work.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Thanks for having me and thanks, I'm so glad we got
to chat.
Thanks, eddie.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Yep Like subscribe.
Make sure you go, follow all ofJamie's podcast, connect with
her if you have any questionsand we will see you all next
Sunday.
Bye.
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