A relaxed student learns better. A relaxed teacher teaches better.

- Carla Tantillo, Founder of Mindful Practices

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Listen to Carla Tantillo's interview with Wired FM, Ireland!

This past October traveled to Limirick, Ireland to provide professional development to the teachers of Mary Immaculate College. While in Ireland, Mary Immaculate College's radio station, Wired FM, invited Carla Tantillo to speak about her experiences providing professional development and implementing wellness programs in schools on-air. A warm thank you to the kind people overseas at Wired FM for enabling Mindful Practices the chance to rebroadcast the interview below.

Radio Segment #1:
Introductions & History of Mindful Practices

In the first radio segment Carla discusses with Wired FM the history of Mindful Practices, delving into the events that help shape her business. She addresses how the core principals of Mindful Practices were developed over time based upon Carla's experiences as teacher and a curriculum director in high-poverty areas. Carla noticed an alarming trend that external stressors were frequently effecting classroom behavior, but there were no classroom management strategies put in place to counteract the issue.

Radio Segment #2:
Mindful Practices' Mission

In the second segment of Carla's interview on Wired FM, she discusses the mission of Mindful Practices, which is to improve the health and wellness of students and teachers by providing skills to proactively cope with internal and external stressors, cultivating compassion for self and others through awareness-based exercises, modeling healthy life-style choices and teaching physical fitness activities.

Radio Segment #3:
Overview of Mary Emmaculate College Lecture

Carla traveled to Limirick, Ireland to provide professional development to the teachers of Mary Immaculate College. In this segment, Carla provides an overview on the topics she discussed.

Radio Segment #4:
Implementing Yoga in Any Classroom Size

In segment four, Carla stresses it is very important for teachers to realize students don't need to have yoga mats, a huge amount of space, or special clothes on to do yoga. The key is to cultivate a sense of personal space for the students (at least an arms width from each other). Mindful Practices' wellness programs are focused on providing students with life-long tools to proactively manage stress and anger in and out of the classroom, because when students realize they can do tree pose at home instead of fighting with a sibling after dinner or take a few deep breaths in seated-arm stretch to calm their nerves before a job interview, it empowers the students to take charge of their stressors anywhere they may arise.

Radio Segment #5:
Modeling Wellness for Students

Carla discusses the correct and incorrect ways to model wellness in the classroom. In segment five of the Wired FM interview, she stresses teachers must be cognizant of their own behaviors. A teacher should not lecture their students on that soda is unhealthy while sipping on a diet coke. When this happens the message becomes inconsistent and the students tune out.

Radio Segment #6:
Final Words

In segement six Carla says her goodbyes and thanks the folks at Wired FM for having her on the show.

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