Hello, world! How exciting to be embarking on a new online adventure. I’m Colleen, and I’m here to serve others through yoga, mindfulness, and physical education.
So let’s start with my daytime persona: PE Teacher extraordinaire! I teach PE and yoga in a bilingual Spanish/English, Title One (read: low-income) elementary school in Northeast Portland. I’ve been so fortunate to have this job for the last six years. Each student in the school–from kindergarten through fifth grade– receives my PE class twice per week. One of those classes is held in the gym. That’s where we learn more outward-focused physical skills, such as how to build muscle, how to play fair, and how to use physical skills to participate in fun games. The second class each week is held in an on-campus yoga studio, which I have spent years advocating for and beautifying. This is our space for learning inward-focused tools for health and empowerment. Let’s face it: None of us get an owner’s manual for this body at birth. (Wouldn’t that be helpful?) I use my fifteen years of experience teaching yoga, studying the body/mind, and practicing mindfulness to help my students understand how their bodies work, and what they can do in any given moment to “steer” themselves toward peace and calm. (In education we like to call that “self-regulation”.) Put plainly: I adore my job.
On Saturdays, I teach yoga to adults (and mature tweens/teens) at a studio in downtown Portland, Oregon: Yoga on Yamhill. I’ve taught the noon Vinyasa yoga class on Saturdays for many years, and I recently added a second class at 9am on Saturdays–Kundalini Yoga.
Outside of these gigs, I like to train for triathlons, garden, cook, read, and play/listen to music.
So, why have I launched this new site and blog?
- To share my teaching with a wider audience. To help people of all ages learn about themselves through yoga, mindfulness, and fitness.
- To help get the word out about what I do, including teaching, writing, and speaking.
- To create an online place for community, where like-minded people can support each other on their personal journeys.
What kind of topics can you expect at this site? Well, this is where I’ll geek out about some of my favorite topics, including:
- Yoga Tools for Everyone: On-The-Spot yoga that you can use at the grocery store, standing in line at the bank, driving–any time and any place you need to feel more serene.
- Physical Education, particularly standards-based instruction, assessment techniques, and the delight of helping others discover the joy of movement.
- The Nervous System, and the science behind why yoga and mindfulness work to regulate it. (I am a brain science nerd, but I also enjoy learning about and sharing the wisdom of anatomy/physiology, biology, (positive) psychology, and more.)
- Mindfulness in Education. This is an exciting time to be teaching yoga, mindfulness, and meditation to young people!
- Upcoming Classes I’ll be teaching.
Given my background in online writing, you’d have thought that I would have had a blog for years. For a while, I did, but it grew outdated and no longer fit who I was. I let it go for a while, but I am excited to be back!
For my own reference, and perhaps to pique your interest, I’m going to list a few goals that I hope this blog will support:
- Write and Publish a Curriculum for Yoga and Mindfulness at the elementary level, backed by science, tried by teachers, and aligned with PE standards.
- Teach University/College classes in Physical Education, Classroom Management, and more at the college level, to inspire and inform the next generation of teachers.
- Create an online library of yoga classes, so that my students from around the world can practice anytime, anywhere, with a reasonably priced membership.
How wonderful it is that we can start anew at any age. I’m thrilled to be kicking off this site, and I look forward to what this adventure brings!