FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE + LEISURE
MINDFUL MATTERS
LIFESTYLE TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS
By Beth Levine | Photography by Joseph West
Life moves fast – especially in Houston , it seems . So fast sometimes you need to force yourself to stop , look around and remember to breathe . Given today ’ s fast-paced world and technological advances , is it any wonder that today ’ s youth can get lost amidst a flurry of mental and physical distractions ?
Enter DENISE HORVILLEUR and her husband , YOUXIA KAI . Bonding over a shared desire for more mindful practices in their life , Denise , an HISD teacher , and Kai , who taught Tai Chi , reconnected ( yes , they went to high school and college together ) a few years ago . Combining their shared focus on wellness with Denise ’ s background in education , they embarked on a career path to introduce mindfulness practices as lifestyle tools for today ’ s kids , equipping them for navigating their increasingly fast-paced futures . We sat down with them to learn about the work they are doing here in Houston along with Denise ’ s work for the Breathe , Move , Rest ( BMR ) Program out of New York .
Can you share your insights on mindfulness , wellness and education ?
Kai / Denise : We feel that wellness and education are not limited to the classroom . We both have experience teaching mindful breathing , movement and rest at MD Anderson Cancer Center as part of the Integrative Medicine Center to cancer patients and their caretakers and have also taught Tai Chi and mindfulness classess to kids at the Health Museum during this past Spring Break .
Denise , you are very active in the Breathe , Move , Rest program . Tell us about the program , what attracted you to it and your involvement .
Denise : A few years ago , Eddie Stern developed a curriculum for a program looking to bring mindfulness into public schools . They were interested in bringing this to Houston ISD and contacted Rachel Nystrom to recruit a group of Health and Wellness teachers . Local Yogi Robert Boustany , knowing that I had experience working in public schools , suggested that I interview with Rachel , followed by another interview leading to me being fortunate to be hired by Stevens Elementary .
A second mindfulness curriculum was developed focused on training teachers how to implement mindfulness practices during the school day . The training serves all teachers and can benefit any adult working in a public school ; training teachers on how to offer de-stressing exercises to students , trainees are taught how to adopt these practices for themselves . Eddie suggested that I work with him as a mentor for this new model of bringing mindfulness to schools . With 13 + years of teaching experience , I was well aware of the limitations of time that teachers encounter throughout their work day , and especially appreciated how this training addressed that issue . The program not only focuses on practices to help children manage stress , but also offers teachers and school staff easy and manageable de-stressing exercises as well , exercises that can be done throughout the day without taking time away from instruction .
After working with over 50 schools in HISD , what has the feedback been like ? And what does the future hold for BMR here in Houston ?
Denise : Wow , well , HISD has been pretty incredible to work with . Most students practice in their shoes , without mats and with great attitudes . I have countless tales of students thanking their teachers . The mindfulness practice is done at the end of every Health and Wellness lesson . Students are directed to bring their awareness to each part of the body , starting with the feet , legs , hips , hands , arms , shoulders , belly , chest , spine , head and face . They are encouraged to feel each body part resting as they direct their attention to that place . This can take about 3 minutes . In my monthly visits to HISD schools , what stood out to me most was how all students , including those with varying physical and mental capabilities , could participate in the exercises , have fun and gain relaxation and focus . Students in wheelchairs , non-English-speaking
april 17 | LOCAL 51