{"id":21950,"date":"2024-10-28T09:49:23","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T16:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=21950"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:58:06","slug":"yoga-and-mindfulness-are-focus-of-little-yoginis-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/yoga-and-mindfulness-are-focus-of-little-yoginis-program\/","title":{"rendered":"How USC Dornsife pioneered wellness for inner-city grade school kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/meditation-in-schools-dornsife-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/meditation-in-schools-dornsife-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/meditation-in-schools-dornsife-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/meditation-in-schools-dornsife-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Elementary school students do yoga on yoga mats. A girl wears a Trojan Outreach shirt.\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Children from Martin Luther King Jr Elementary near USC\u2019s University Park Campus practice yoga principles through USC Dornsife\u2019s Little Yoginis program. (Photo: Courtesy of Joint Educational Project.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=health\">Health<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>How USC Dornsife pioneered wellness for inner-city grade school kids<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  As schools nationwide embrace mindfulness programs, USC Dornsife\u2019s Joint Educational Project has been helping local students manage stress and find focus through yoga for more than a decade.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">USC Dornsife News Staff<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">October 28, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>In the wake of rising mental health struggles among students, schools across the United States are turning to mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation to help children manage stress and emotions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyyouth\/mental-health-action-guide\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Endorsed<\/a> by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the COVID-19 pandemic, these programs are especially beneficial in low-income communities where students face heightened levels of trauma.<\/p>\n<p>While many schools are just now adopting these tools, the Little Yoginis program at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has been ahead of the curve, using yoga to help inner-city children in Los Angeles find peace and focus for more than a decade.<\/p>\n<p>At Martin Luther King Jr Elementary near USC\u2019s University Park Campus, for example, second graders eagerly unroll their yoga mats, ready for their Little Yoginis session. USC students enrolled in \u201cPrinciples of Yoga Through Community Outreach\u201d (PHED 127), a course offered through USC Dornsife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/phed\/\">Department of Physical Education &amp; Mind Body Health<\/a>, guide the children and their teacher, instructing them on calming breathing practices and yoga postures.<\/p>\n<p>USC introduced PHED 127 in the spring of 2022 in conjunction with USC Dornsife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/joint-educational-project\/\">Joint Educational Project<\/a> (JEP). The course builds on the initiative that <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/joint-educational-project\/profile\/700\/\">Tina Koneazny<\/a>, JEP\u2019s associate director of administration and educational outreach, created in 2013 as part of JEP\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/joint-educational-project\/readersplus\/\">ReadersPlus<\/a> program.<\/p>\n<p>The Little Yoginis sessions, which integrate principles of yoga with children\u2019s literature, have helped young students better manage stress and emotions \u2014 long before mindfulness programs gained traction across the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany children in our program are from immigrant families struggling to keep their families together and support them in their education, which can be difficult if they are not fluent in English,\u201d says Koneazny, who teaches PHED 127 as a part-time faculty member in the department. \u201cWe focus on helping these students develop a sense of calm and control in their daily lives. Through yoga and breathing techniques, we help them learn skills to center themselves, become more focused and build confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each session begins with a story time element, where a USC student reads a book tied to a theme of wellness or kindness. For example, reading Shel Silverstein\u2019s <em>The Giving Tree<\/em> might lead to the class practicing the tree pose. \u201cThe stories we choose reinforce some of the moral yogic principles, such as nonviolence, discipline and contentment,\u201d Koneazny adds.<\/p>\n<p>With Little Yoginis now offered through PHED 127, the program benefits more elementary school students. Originally limited to small groups of children after school, \u201cwe can reach more students because our teams of three or four USC students work with full classrooms, as many as 35 students,\u201d Koneazny says.<\/p>\n<p>The USC student instructors learn yoga and mindfulness techniques from Koneazny while earning course credits, and they reap the rewards of serving the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe palpable excitement among the kids was heartwarming,\u201d said Mehr Kotval, a junior double-majoring in archaeology and political science at USC Dornsife. \u201cEach time we came into the classroom to tell the kids it was time for yoga, there were many excited cheers. The students found excitement in challenging themselves with yoga poses they initially thought were beyond their capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PtF0S1YLCWo?si=ZoCbcenDtkLRdnvy\" title=\"How Yoga Helps Inner-City Youth Cope with Stress\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2>A growing national movement<\/h2>\n<p>As schools increasingly recognize the mental health benefits of mindfulness programs, more institutions are following a path similar to that of Little Yoginis. A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/back-to-school-mental-health-mindfulness-5f73bbd3324ad4e9e9723b5c49fa1616\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press article<\/a> highlights how yoga and meditation are being introduced in classrooms to support student well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s rewarding to see schools around the country embracing what we\u2019ve been doing for years,\u201d Koneazny says. \u201cThese practices are especially impactful for kids in high-stress environments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School first-grade teacher Erika Ramirez, the program has made a noticeable difference. \u201cIt was wonderful to see their positive energy and kindness grow through yoga,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Students echo this sentiment, with one third grader sharing how after yoga, \u201call my stress goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>A program built on service<\/h2>\n<p>What makes the Little Yoginis program particularly unique is its integration of service learning. USC students, trained as \u201cUSC Yogis,\u201d work directly with the children, teaching yoga techniques and modeling positive behavior. This hands-on approach has been transformative for both university and elementary students alike.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a two-way street,\u201d Koneazny notes. \u201cOur USC students teach, but they also grow through their connections with these young students. It\u2019s a deeply rewarding experience on both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: Darrin S. Joy and Jim Key contributed to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/giqbYRVn5v4\" \n         target=\"_blank\"                 class=\"\" \n      >\u2018Trojan Talks\u2019: USC President Beong-Soo Kim talks with Assal Habibi<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a 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decade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":21952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,17],"tags":[63,134,1952],"class_list":["post-21950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-student","tag-community-engagement","tag-joint-educational-project","tag-physical-education-and-mind-body-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How USC Dornsife pioneered wellness for inner-city grade school kids<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As schools nationwide embrace mindfulness programs, Little Yoginis has helped young students manage stress through yoga for more than a decade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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