{"id":31942,"date":"2025-11-12T12:16:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T12:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/31942\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T12:16:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T12:16:24","slug":"bethlehem-students-learn-mindfulness-from-lehigh-valley-nonprofit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/31942\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem students learn mindfulness from Lehigh Valley nonprofit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

She calls it \u201cunicorn breath,\u201d and it\u2019s the 10-year-old fourth grader\u2019s own spin on mindfulness techniques that have been expanding into Bethlehem and Easton area schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can use the breathing techniques anywhere,\u201d Chloe said. \u201cYou can always focus on the right here, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The techniques are being taught by the nonprofit Shanthi Project, <\/a>which for more than 10 years has worked to provide mindfulness education to students across the Lehigh Valley. Chloe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The 16-week kindergarten curriculum starts in October and focuses on fundamental concepts such as intentional breathing and mindful listening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be the last thing I would ever want to see go,\u201d Clearview kindergarten teacher Lisa Koski said.<\/p>\n

\"Eliana<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jody<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jody<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Kindergarteners<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jody<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jody<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dakota<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jody<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Janae<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Janae<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 10<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

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

In a moment of chaos, teachers can use the Shanthi Project techniques to recapture students\u2019 attention, Koski said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students really feel like they have a voice,\u201d Maffea said.<\/p>\n

Shanthi Project curriculum also emphasizes relationship skills like kindness and gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes a huge difference in their level of empathy,\u201d Clearview fourth grade teacher Jacqueline Jimenez said.<\/p>\n

As the students get older, the lessons shift toward skills needed to conquer the anxiety that comes with the transition to middle school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re really stressed out, you can just stay calm and relaxed by breathing in and breathing out,\u201d Clearview fourth grader Caleb Lopez said.<\/p>\n

Lopez said he\u2019s learned to recognize when he\u2019s \u201ccrazed out\u201d and needs a reset.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As Millspaugh surveyed the kindergarteners gathered on Maffea\u2019s carpet, she guided them through the transition from \u201cmindful bodies\u201d to \u201cwiggly bodies\u201d and back again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can switch into our mindful bodies when we need to or want to,\u201d Millspaugh reminded the students.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIf you can teach a kid how to be mindful and notice their emotions as they\u2019re 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,\u201d Shanthi Project Executive Director Kimberly Hopkins said.<\/p>\n

Learning mindfulness early is like learning a language at a young age in that it\u2019s easier to pick up, Clearview Principal Heather Bennett-Knerr said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it helps them keep that pause and stay present,\u201d Bennett-Knerr said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chloe Roman clasped her hands together in prayer position, slowly raised them over her head, and then wiggled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,153,2181,227,182,139,434,28,432],"class_list":{"0":"post-31942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news","11":"tag-bethlehem","12":"tag-easton","13":"tag-education","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-northampton-county","17":"tag-pennsylvania","18":"tag-top-stories-tmc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}