With these funds I will attend a Breathe For Change Educators Training in Austin, Texas from July 16th and August 1st. Breathe For Change envisions all human beings inspired, educated, and supported to be our best selves in our relationships, our communities, and our world. Breathe For Change unites, trains, and supports educators and change agents to manifest individual and collective well-being in their personal and professional lives. Training participants join an inspiring community of 50 other educators and gain deep knowledge in yoga, mindfulness, and social emotional learning practices. Graduates receive their official 200-hour yoga teacher certification through the Yoga Alliance. 

My hope is to attend this training, which marries yoga and mindfulness practices with the specific needs of educators and their students. In my experience, wellness has not been the forefront of priorities for teachers - and access to these types of services are often out of reach based upon the low teacher-pay in many areas of the United States. Breathe For Change draws upon and contributes to a growing body of research demonstrating the benefits of mind-body wellness practices and social-emotional development for individuals, relationships, and communities. Enhancing the physical, mental, social-emotional well-being of individuals has been shown to have positive impact on their entire communities. In the context of education, prioritizing teacher well-being enhances teaching and learning, which leads to improvements in students' social-emotional and academic outcomes. By doing this myself, I would be able to authentically share this practice with my school community; teachers and students alike. 

I would love to encourage each student to move from just using breathing / mindfulness techniques as a strategy in times of need, to adopting it as a lifestyle. In life, we cannot guarantee an easy ride for anyone. We cannot prevent atrocities from happening. We can, however, equip students to control their reactions to these things and approach the world in a move open, loving way.

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