Ms. Wheaton’s Classroom Edit display name

About my class

I participated in Breathe for Change 200-hour Wellness and Teacher Training) that goes far beyond teaching yoga anatomy and asanas, and specializes in teaching educators how to teach social-emotional learning, meditation, and community building to kiddos. Yoga is a wonderful tool to harmonize movement with language learning and can be used to target pre-linguistic communication, vocabulary development, learning abstract linguistic concepts (under/over, left/right, above/below), and breath and oral motor movement for speech in a kinesthetic, fun, and meaningful way! In addition, yoga benefits kids that are affected by anxiety and/or sensory processing issues (~three times more likely for my students with specific language impairments). Yoga focuses on breath and mindful movements which help students with self-regulation skills, reduce anxiety and set the platform for effective learning. My goal is to build a safe and fun space for adults and children to observe, move, communicate, and grow together! P.S. If you’re still questioning how yoga and communication go together and/or are passionate about nerding out on science read on… Yoga and learning are a great pair because yoga integrates physical movement and spoken language. The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating body movement AND determining important language skills (i.e. verbal fluency, expressive and receptive grammar processing, and the ability to identify and correct language mistakes). Researchers also believe that the cerebellum helps in social and communication skills. A recent study from Oregon State University found that children with ASD who had better motor skills were better at socializing and communicating. And what’s extra cool about the cerebellum you ask? Its size can change! For example, if someone has had to restrict their movement, like being on bed rest, they can lose up to 25% of the volume of their cerebellum, while regular activity (like yoga) can increase the volume.