Bethlehem students learn mindfulness from Lehigh Valley nonprofit

Chloe Roman clasped her hands together in prayer position, slowly raised them over her head, and then wiggled her fingers as she floated her hands back down to waist level.

She calls it “unicorn breath,” and it’s the 10-year-old fourth grader’s own spin on mindfulness techniques that have been expanding into Bethlehem and Easton area schools.

“You can use the breathing techniques anywhere,” Chloe said. “You can always focus on the right here, right now.”

The techniques are being taught by the nonprofit Shanthi Project, which for more than 10 years has worked to provide mindfulness education to students across the Lehigh Valley. Chloe’s homebase of Clearview Elementary received additional grant money to expand the Shanthi Project curriculum to all grades. Elsewhere in Bethlehem Area School District, this is the second year the nonprofit has served all kindergarteners and fifth graders. Easton Area kindergarteners also participate.

The 16-week kindergarten curriculum starts in October and focuses on fundamental concepts such as intentional breathing and mindful listening.

“It would be the last thing I would ever want to see go,” Clearview kindergarten teacher Lisa Koski said.

Eliana Zayas and Joshua Brown, kindergarteners at Clearview Elementary School,...

Eliana Zayas and Joshua Brown, kindergarteners at Clearview Elementary School, show the Tiger Breath breathing exercise to their class Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Bethlehem. The exercise is part of the Shanthi Project, a mindfulness program that serves kindergartners and fifth graders in the Bethlehem Area School District. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Jody Millspaugh leads students through relaxation exercises at Clearview Elementary School on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Bethlehem as part of the Shanthi Project, a mindfulness program that serves kindergartners and fifth graders in the Bethlehem Area School District. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Kindergarteners practice a relaxation exercise at Clearview Elementary School in Bethlehem on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. The activity is part of the Shanthi Project, a mindfulness program for kindergartners and fifth graders in the Bethlehem Area School District. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Dakota Kocsis, right, a fourth grader at Clearview Elementary School, stares at the ceiling when asked to focus on something during a mindfulness exercise Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Bethlehem, part of the Shanthi Project, a mindfulness program that serves kindergartners and fifth graders in the Bethlehem Area School District. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Jody Millspaugh leads students through relaxation exercises at Clearview Elementary school Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, as part of the Shanthi Project, a mindfulness program that serves kindergartners and fifth graders in the Bethlehem Area School District. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

Janae Greene, a fourth grader at Clearview Elementary School, starts the relaxation period with a chime Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Bethlehem. Janae is participating in the the Shanthi Project, a mindfulness program that serves kindergartners and fifth graders in the Bethlehem Area School District. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)

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Students are entering school struggling with emotional regulation, and no learning can happen until they learn to calm their bodies, Koski said.

In a moment of chaos, teachers can use the Shanthi Project techniques to recapture students’ attention, Koski said.

Fellow kindergarten teacher Juliana Maffea said the mindfulness rituals also benefit the adults in the room. Teachers engage in the exercises alongside their students, and allowing students to choose which breaths to practice gives them agency, she said.

“The students really feel like they have a voice,” Maffea said.

Shanthi Project curriculum also emphasizes relationship skills like kindness and gratitude.

“It makes a huge difference in their level of empathy,” Clearview fourth grade teacher Jacqueline Jimenez said.

As the students get older, the lessons shift toward skills needed to conquer the anxiety that comes with the transition to middle school.

“If you’re really stressed out, you can just stay calm and relaxed by breathing in and breathing out,” Clearview fourth grader Caleb Lopez said.

Lopez said he’s learned to recognize when he’s “crazed out” and needs a reset.

Breathing techniques are useful for daily transitions like entering school in the morning or coming back to class from lunch. Shanthi Project instructor Jody Millspaugh said the practices can also inspire creativity.

Millspaugh aims to teach students awareness of themselves, others and the environment. Along with the breathing techniques, a lifelong skill, she wants to impart calmness and compassion.

As Millspaugh surveyed the kindergarteners gathered on Maffea’s carpet, she guided them through the transition from “mindful bodies” to “wiggly bodies” and back again.

“We can switch into our mindful bodies when we need to or want to,” Millspaugh reminded the students.

The long-term goal is to build emotional resilience, stress management and self-confidence while improving focus and executive function, Millspaugh said.

“If you can teach a kid how to be mindful and notice their emotions as they’re happening and teach them to respond rather than react very suddenly, it is a resource that they can call on not only in the classroom but for the rest of their lives,” Shanthi Project Executive Director Kimberly Hopkins said.

Learning mindfulness early is like learning a language at a young age in that it’s easier to pick up, Clearview Principal Heather Bennett-Knerr said.

“I think it helps them keep that pause and stay present,” Bennett-Knerr said.

Bethlehem students learn mindfulness from Lehigh Valley nonprofit

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