Trauma-Informed Tools to Support SEL, Academic Success, Behavior, and Climate
In this experiential session, learn how integrating simple, engaging, developmentally appropriate yoga and mindfulness practices, specifically designed for the time and space crunched classroom (including online classrooms) can be a convenient and effective way to promote the development of SEL competencies, positive climate, and student success.
Participants will learn a variety of practical strategies they can immediately use with their students and for themselves, as well as research, case studies, and best practices for building support in their school community. Illustrated handouts and access to a library of additional helpful resources will be provided.
Tuition includes a digital download of the Yoga Activity Cards. If you prefer physical cards, they can be purchased for an additional fee here: Purchase Activity Cards
This offering serves as the foundational workshop presented through Yoga 4 Classrooms (www.yoga4classrooms.com)
Lisa Flynn is founder and former Owner/CEO of Yoga 4 Classrooms, a nationally acclaimed program providing professional development trainings, curricula, resources, and consulting to individuals, schools, and organizations who support the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children and youth. She is author of the Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Card Deck (2011) and Ebook edition (2020); Yoga for Children: 200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises and Meditations for Healthier, Happier, More Resilient Children (2013) with Spanish edition (2018); and Yoga for Children—Yoga Cards: 50+ Yoga and Mindfulness Activities for Kids (2018); contributor to Best Practices for Yoga in Schools (2015), and Stories of School Yoga: Narratives from the Field (2019); and sponsor of the Research Repository: Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness for Children, Adolescents and in Schools. Lisa contributed to the first published research study to use subjective and objective data to examine the acute and longitudinal effects of a school-based yoga intervention in young children and her work has been featured in media including Fox News, Education Week, Forbes, Greater Good, Yoga Journal, and Parents. In addition to supporting a diverse group of schools in sustainably implementing yoga and mindfulness school-wide, Lisa is a national presenter and advocate for school mental health and the integration of MY-SEL (mindfulness, yoga, social and emotional learning) in education. Closer to home, she also serves as a school board member of MSAD 35 / South Berwick and Eliot, ME, and mom to two college students.
Dr. Sarah Kirk became the owner and CEO of Yoga 4 Classrooms in 2023 following many years of implementing Yoga and Mindfulness in schools as a school counselor. She is also a National Board Certified Counselor and has worked with children and adolescents for over ten years. Sarah has spent her career helping students, educators, and caregivers live more peacefully through mindfulness, positive behavioral supports, and emotion management. Sarah has a passion for supporting educators and caregivers as they advocate for the social and emotional, mental health, academic, and post-secondary needs of all students in the school system.
Sarah was Oklahoma's 2018 School Counselor of the Year and a 2019 National School Counselor of the Year Finalist. She served on the American School Counselor Association Board of Directors from 2019-2022. Sarah received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Science, her Master of Science degree in Counseling from Oklahoma State University, and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University.
