How to Be the Calm in the Chaos — Mindfulness Tools for Moms and Teens, Interview with Lisa Danahy

Описание: If you’ve ever said “Just calm down!” and watched it do the exact opposite, this episode is your reset.

Today I’m talking with Lisa Danahy—yoga therapist, educator, and founder of Create Calm—about practical, science-backed tools that help moms, teens, and teachers regulate emotions in real time. Lisa has decades of experience bringing yoga, mindfulness, and movement into classrooms (from early childhood to all-boys high schools), and the results are powerful: more focus, fewer power struggles, and a deeper sense of connection.

What I love most? Lisa doesn’t preach “mind control.” She shows how movement before stillness, co-regulation, and a few simple routines (think “balloon breathing,” ear acupressure, and a 10-second reset) can shift the nervous system from chaos to calm—without lectures.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Mindfulness, demystified: awareness → assessment → choice (without resignation)
• Movement before stillness: why “sit down and calm down” fails—and what to do instead
• Co-regulation 101: how your nervous system helps theirs find neutral
• Quick resets that work:
• Balloon Breathing (reach up on inhale, hands down on exhale)
• Turtle Shell (curl, breathe, stretch—great for slow-to-start mornings)
• Ear Rub (top of ear acupressure to cue calm focus)
• Adi Mudra (thumbs tucked, palms down for grounding)
• Class/Family Agreements that stick: kindness, respect, and “we listen”—taught with a breath + movement, not a lecture
• Calm, Assertive, Loving Pack Leader: clear, consistent, capable—not authoritarian
• Expectations vs. people: take control of the situation instead of trying to control the person
• Teacher first, tools second: when adults regulate, classrooms (and homes) follow

My favorite moments
• The gym game that “went off the rails”—and how Lisa used one sentence and a breath to bring everyone back.
• Why teens (and adults) need assertiveness in mindfulness: confident, clear, capable.
• Practicing when calm so your brain can find the path when it’s not.

Connect with Lisa
• Website (nonprofit): CreateCalm.org
• Book: Creating Calm in Your Classroom (on Amazon)
• Email: [email protected]

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