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Tania compels us to look at all people, especially the prison population in a different light. From teaching yoga to advocating reintegration through letter writing programs, she shares how powerful connection can be for transformation.Tania Mejia is a communication and social advocacy student at Humboldt State University. Yoga helped her heal from trauma including the suicide of her best friend. The healing she found in breathing and moving mindfully during a time of confusion and grieving was unparalleled. She was so inspired that she enrolled in a 200-hour teacher training program, studied trauma sensitive yoga, and became a yoga teacher. Today, she advocates for yoga behind bars and prison reform.
Adam Gazzaley shares his findings on the intersection of virtual reality and neuroscience to illustrate the brain’s capacity to enhance functioning through the use of technology. Gazzaley discusses possibilities in the near future of mental health professionals and doctors prescribing video games and other technologies to treat multiple conditions such as Parkinson's, Schizophrenia, and addiction.
Relying on suspensions and zero-tolerance discipline doesn't deter misbehavior in schools--in fact, it makes matters worse. Teacher Jean Klasovsky shares Farragut High School's story, a model for how schools can improve climate and discipline by using restorative justice practices such as peace circles and peer juries. Such practices lead to reduced dropout rates and greater student achievement.
Shannon Paige is a writer, sacred activist, dedicated Yoga teacher. She is also the founder of Om Time Yoga Center and the styles of Bhava Vinyasa for Depression and Anxiety and Anjali Restorative Yoga.
Dr. Tish Jennings speaks about the importance of teachers investing in mindfulness practices to ensure their own well-being and the impact of such practices on both the classroom environment and student performance. Read more about Mindfulness for Teachers in Tish Jennings new book: https://goo.gl/7OIdSY.PATRICIA (TISH) JENNINGS, M.Ed., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social and emotional learning and mindfulness in education with a specific emphasis on teacher stress and how it impacts the social and emotional context of the classroom and student well-being and learning. Dr. Jennings led the team that developed CARE for Teachers, a mindfulness-based professional development program shown to significantly improve teacher well-being, classroom climate and student productivity. Dr. Jennings is leading the development of the Compassionate Schools Project integrated health curriculum, which is being evaluated in Louisville, Kentucky. Earlier in her career, Dr. Jennings spent over 22 years as a classroom teacher. She is the author of Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom.
Beth Berila is Director of the Gender and Women’s Studies program at St. Cloud State University and a Professor in the Ethnic, Gender, & Women's Studies Department. She is also a 500-hour registered yoga teacher. Beth's public speaking is a combination of insight and humor, mindfulness practice and feminist analysis. She has spoken at academic conferences, yoga studios, and public workshops, university events. Suggested reading list to accompany her talk is available at www.bethberila.com. Beth Berila is Director of the Gender and Women’s Studies program at SCSU and a Professor in the Ethnic, Gender, & Women's Studies Department. She is also a 500-hour registered yoga teacher. Her work blends intersectional feminism and mindfulness to help communities more fully embody social justice. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Incarceration fails to correct behavior for the majority of the people who go through it. Jahmaya Kessler shows us the value of offering compassionate incarceration to not just prisoners, but to all of us. Jahmaya Kessler is a trauma-informed, mindfulness-based counselor and jail and prison program specialist who has been working with incarcerated adults for the last 6 years. Within that span of time, the way he sees this population and the correctional system has been completely transformed. As someone who specializes in how trauma impacts the body and brain, he has become passionate about how the system creates harm rather than healing, and the impact this has on the culture at large. He hopes to educate the general public about the benefits of offering compassionate services, and the dangerous costs of not paying attention to who will be walking out those locked doors if we don't.