Educator Wellness Classes

Supporting the educators who support students.

Through a recent seed grant from the VCU Health Hub at 25th, L.O.C.A.L. Adventures brought a series of yoga, mindfulness, and wellness sessions directly to educators and community spaces across Richmond’s East End serving over 75 educators.

Building on the success of this series, we’re excited to expand educator wellness programming. Sessions can be customized for schools, nonprofits, and community organizations.

What We Offer:

  • Single 60–90 minute wellness workshops

  • Four-part seasonal wellness series

  • Customized experiences based on your team’s needs

What Participants Can Expect

  • Gentle movement and yoga

  • Breathwork and mindfulness tools

  • Stress management practices

  • Nervous system support

  • Space for reflection and restoration

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What Teachers Said

📓 What Teachers Said

  • "Taking time with staff to collectively breathe and unwind. We tend to constantly move forward and don’t always take the time to be still, process or have quality time. It brought about a moment of peace and calm amongst a fairly busy and stressful time. Being present collectively and intentionally was helpful to ground me as a leader. I greatly appreciated the structure — no rushing through the session. Very calming and peaceful instruction. Thank you."

  • “I felt like I could release a lot of mental/emotional tension by being guided to release physical tension.”

  • “Love the sound bath and getting back into my body. And the jaw massage was a surprisingly helpful tip!”

  • “Today’s session opened me up to hear my boy’s signals and sink into the feelings of those. A valuable session for everyone, and especially important for educators who hope to aid in high emotion situations. We each need to understand what calming down and grounding ourselves means/feels like if we expect to teach it. Preston was so calming and amazing!”

  • “An opportunity to just STOP everything and pay attention to my body and thoughts. Focus on where the tension is in the body and relax it.”

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What Research Says

💡 What Research Says

1. Educator burnout is at an all-time high—and directly impacts student outcomes

Recent research shows that over 55–60% of educators report high levels of burnout, with chronic stress linked to reduced classroom effectiveness, lower student engagement, and increased turnover.

Source: American Federation of Teachers. (2025). Teacher and school staff mental health report. Washington, DC.

2. Mindfulness and yoga significantly reduce stress and improve emotional regulation in educators

A 2025 meta-analysis found that mindfulness-based interventions (including yoga and breathwork) reduced stress, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion in educators by up to 30%, while improving resilience and emotional regulation.

Source: Jennings, P. A., et al. (2025). Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on teacher stress and well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 117(2), 345–362.

3. Nervous system regulation practices improve classroom climate

Studies show that when educators engage in nervous system regulation practices, there is a measurable improvement in classroom tone, including reduced conflict, improved student behavior, and stronger teacher-student relationships.

Source: Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Roeser, R. W. (2026). Teacher well-being and classroom climate: The role of social-emotional competence. Educational Researcher, 55(1), 12–25.

4. Even short wellness interventions (60–90 minutes) have a measurable impact.

Research from 2026 shows that brief, single-session wellness interventions (60–90 minutes) can significantly reduce perceived stress and improve mood for educators for up to several days following participation.

Source: Roeser, R. W., et al. (2026). Brief contemplative interventions for educators: Impacts on stress and well-being. Mindfulness, 17(1), 89–104.