After all these months of sheltering in place, a lot of parents and policy makers are looking to the new school year with the hope of returning to SOMETHING that feels normal. One way or another, this new school year is GOING to begin! And for teachers, starting school in this era of the pandemic is going to be ANYTHING but normal.
With the added pressures of remote learning and the uncertainty of ever-shifting schedules, it really is more important than ever for teachers to establish a self-care routine. Self-care practices can add structure to your now amorphous days while addressing the needs of your physical, mental and emotions self.
But if you’re like me, sometimes “taking care of myself” in the midst of everything else just feels like one more thing on my list… one more thing to figure out, make time for, schedule and do.
BeCause Yoga has created a menu of self-care resources and activities just for teachers, along with a guide to make it easier to develop a self-care routine that works for you.
Yes — it’s a Video Library. But you won’t just be staring at your screen!
These practices give you a much needed break from talking, thinking and being “ON.”
The Video Library is divided into activities to try in the morning, activities to try midday, and activities to try in the evening. You’ll find a selection ranging from
- 5-minute meditations to ground you when your mind is racing
- 5-10 minute breathing exercises to energize you when you feel sluggish
- 20-30 minute movement practices to loosen up stiff shoulders, necks and hips after sitting
- 60 minute yoga practices in a variety of styles to get out of your left brain and into an intuitive, embodied space
- Longer guided meditations to induce relaxation and deep sleep
These practice address your body’s need to
- stand up after sitting for too long
- move around in new ways after being at your computer
- physically shift your perspective by taking your eyes OFF a screen
- mentally shift your perspective by simply checking in with yourself
- simply give yourself the time to ask, “what is it that I need right now?”
Even a few minutes of breathing deeply can make a big difference in your mood, and your outlook.
What it is
Navigating a New Normal is a wellness subscription program designed specifically for teachers to create a personalized self-care routine and add necessary structure to your days working from home. The program is centered around somatic movement, embodied practices like yoga and breath work, and contemplative practices like meditation, writing and drawing, but will also include from time to time seasonal recipes, healthy meal plans, pop-up events, and surprise sessions with guest teachers of other modalities (zumba, pole, hip hop dance, pilates, etc.).
Your subscription begins with one week of daily emails to help guide the creation of your own personalized self-care routine. These daily emails include prompts for contemplative writing and reflection, and suggestions for morning practices, midday practices and afternoon and evening practices, along with links to videos to try out various types of meditation, breath work, movement and yoga. After the first week, you’ll receive one email weekly with suggestions for self-care and links to new videos in the Video Library. Membership renews automatically monthly.
What you get
First Week: Daily emails including:
- Writing prompts for reflection and journaling
- Suggestions for what to consider when thinking about how to structure your self care practices
- Links to a variety of suggested morning, midday and evening activities to try that day
Always: Access to Video Library with a selection of suggested practices for morning, midday and evening, including:
- 5 min meditations to ground you when you’re mind is racing
- 5-10 min breathing exercises to energize you when you feel sluggish
- 5-10 min movement and breath practices to energize
- 20-30 min movement practices to loosen up stiff shoulders, necks and hips after sitting
- 60 min full spectrum yoga practices in a variety of styles to get out of your left brain and into an intuitive, embodied space
- Longer guided meditations to induce relaxation and deep sleep
After the first week:
- Weekly email with reflection and writing prompts, suggested practices specific to that week (depending on season, weather, current events, is it a testing week? etc), and links to new videos in the Library
- Private Facebook group for members to share insights, experiences and ideas
Your investment
This monthly self-care subscription made specifically with the needs of teachers in mind costs $30/month.
What you get OUT of it
- Simple practices to help you step away from your computer, get out of your head and into your body
- Restorative movement and meditation to down regulate the nervous system after a day of activation
- Rejuvenating exercise when you need an energy boost — better than caffeine and better for you!
- Support to develop a program that is time flexible and meets the unique needs of your body, mind and emotions
- A personalized self care routine to build structure into long days at the screen
- Tools with coping with the pressures of working from home
- Quiet time for yourself to restore mind, body and spirit so you can be fully present for family and friends
- Contemplative practices to keep your focus on what matters
- Improved energy, flexibility and range of motion
- Physical strength and stamina, vital to emotional growth and stability
- Scientifically proven stress-management and stress-reduction techniques
How it works
This program launches on Sunday, August 30. Sign up here any time between now and then. On August 30, you will receive your first email with tips on creating your own personalized self care routine, links to curated videos to try on Monday—or whenever works for you, an invitation to our private Facebook group, and a link to the complete Video Library! You will receive an email daily for 5 days. After that, the emails are weekly. Your membership will renew automatically on the first of the month. There is no penalty for unsubscribing.
As a teacher, you are many things to many people. You have got to take care of yourself—put your own mask on first! BeCause Yoga has created this video-on-demand self-care service especially for you.
About BeCause Yoga
BeCause Yoga is the project of San Antonio-based yoga instructor Lesley Nicole Ramsey— me!
I spent the first two decades of my professional life as a progressive organizer, rabble rouser, coalition builder and facilitator, advocate, and lobbyist. After an accomplished career in fighting mode, I took a break to reassess tactics and conduct a sort of cost-benefit analysis of that work on my life. I moved to San Antonio for love. I did some grieving I had been “too busy” to do before. And, after 20 years of study and practice, I became a full time yoga teacher. I am E-RYT 500 certified through Yoga Alliance, a Certified Trauma Sensitive Yoga instructor through the Grace Tree Foundation, and a certified Embody Love Movement Facilitator.
Be.Cause Yoga integrates my commitment to social justice with a desire to bring the healing tools of yoga to front line change makers—educators, artists, and activists—to help them prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, and keep their communities and movements whole and thriving.
because.yoga 