TESTIMONIALS

“Meditation helps calm me down during a rowdy day. It helps me learn about myself and what triggers me so I can have conversations, not just get mad.”

Derrick, 16
Brashear High School

“I use mindfulness when I get upset. I take deep breaths and count to ten. I get stressed out at the beginning of the school year and this helps me get past that. Now I’m someone who has self-control and knows how to hold their seat.”

Arabo, 17
Brashear High School

“I still do the finger breathing and S.L.A.M.S.E. pose and I’m a lot better at controlling my anger. I’m also better at dealing with other people’s feelings. I used to think I could control somebody else but now I know I can’t. So if someone gets in my face, I just walk away.”

Kaniesha, 16
Brashear High School

“I like the 7-11 inhale/exhale. It cools me off and brings me down, so I do it a lot. Like, if I’m trying to explain something and people don’t listen, I get overwhelmed. This helps me calm down. I also taught it to my grandma and it helps her too.”

Rickie, 17
Brashear High School

“When I get mad at stuff, I know how to calm myself down. It’s like a quick learning process to just think back to mindfulness, relax, and then try to come up with a solution. If someone gets smart with me, I use it to keep from getting mad.”

Nayshawn, 17
Brashear High School

“Our students have so much stress and trauma in their lives, so we want to make mindfulness a catalyst for their success. For me, I believe that every day, I’m mindful. Mindfulness brings a sense of reality about what I see and hear. It creates accountability and helps me reflect and make the best decisions. It helps me understand that I am a solution.”

Kevin
Co-Founder, Executive Director
1Nation Mentoring

“The mindful techniques have helped me practice patience with my students and help them bring these skills into their own lives. They get angry and frustrated easily, and this helps them draw back and take a deep breath before reacting.”

Lauren
Woodland Hills School District
Special Education, K-3

“Learning these skills allowed me to notice more of what others are going through. It was a big eye-opener for me. In my job, it’s easy to yell. It’s harder to take a deep breath and see things through a different lens. Adding that “moment” or “pause”, even in my everyday life makes such a difference.”

Amy
Environmental Charter School
Recess Coordinator

“Mindfulness has given me a whole different perspective on self-care. I’m a lot more gentle with myself. I’ve also learned to slow moments down in the classroom; to put anxious moments into slow motion so I react in a much more relaxed and thoughtful way.”

Deirdre
Environmental Charter School
Environmental Literacy Teacher, 2nd and 3rd grade

The Awaken Pittsburgh program for educators has made a tremendous impact in the lives of my students. Through utilizing mindfulness, my students are more focused, present, calmer, and seem to embrace new opportunities. This program has helped me to introduce a level of positive energy to my students which seemingly transcends the classroom into their daily lives.

Mirabai
Third Grade Teacher
Edgewood Primary