Breathwork and Yoga Expert for Schools
Founder : The Breathwork and Movement programme
Lesley Collinson is a breathwork and yoga expert for schools. She founded the Breathwork and Movement Programme for Schools in 2020 as a response to Covid and the need to support physical and mental health in schools and strengthen wellbeing. ‘Making wellbeing an outcome is the future of Education’ Lesley is on a mission to bring real wellbeing practices into schools to benefit the whole community.
“Learning how to breathe well and self-regulate is an essential skill in today’s world and if children can develop these practices from an early age, they don’t just have a tool for learning but they have a tool for life.”
Breathwork and Yoga Expert for Schools Experience
After more than 20 years of extensive experience in school improvement, Lesley has used her in-depth knowledge of primary education to create a high impact, sustainable and accessible to all wellbeing programme; Breathwork and Movement.
Before teaching she worked in film as a Location Manager and in 2003 had to make a decision as one of the films was nominated for a BAFTA. She was offered a job in New York on the eve of her qualifying as a teacher at IOE/UCL. Inspired by the birth of her daughter, she decided to enter the world of Education.
She started her career in Early Years; focusing on play and outdoor learning and as a senior leader, transforming departments from requires improvement to Outstanding in Southwark and the South East. ‘Creating inspiring learning environments, exploring and enriching the curriculum, deep observation and understanding of how children learn and enabling children to reach their full potential, sharing and supporting a love of teaching with educators, parents and the wider community, has been essential knowledge in helping me develop the Breathwork and Movement programme.’
She is particularly passionate about sustainability and has won awards for whole school sustainability work in PSHCE and in PE including the London School Environment Awards and the Green Flag.
Lesley has taught in all primary year groups, KS3 and KS4, special needs schools and PRU’s and has had the privilege to work with national and international experts, including Professor Stephen Heppell, who she worked with on the future of technology in Education and interviewed Headteachers globally to find out how they responded to Covid.
During this time she trained as a yoga teacher and started to bring the techniques into the classroom and schools she worked in with remarkable results. She saw first hand the transformative effect these practices had on children and adults in schools. Not only for mental and physical wellbeing but also in their ability to learn. Children who had found it hard to concentrate for more than 2 minutes or were quick to anger suddenly had techniques they could use to help them focus, feel joy and be in control.
Covid hit and Lesley committed to her training and used the techniques even more in schools with the children from key workers. It gave her the opportunity and space to develop the programme further.
Post-Covid, Lesley saw the need for a stronger focus on wellbeing. She started the Breathwork and Movement programme in Croydon in April 2020. The name came about as the headteacher and the Trust she was working with wanted it to be accessed my everyone. In multi-faith and secular schools it was important to stress that these techniques were for everyone and were respectful of everybody’s beliefs.
The programme expanded to include the whole school, teachers and the wider community. Lesley started the Breathwork and Movement Training Programme, for the first time in the UK a programme was offered to yoga teachers to train in a school environment with the expectation they would acquire an excellent skill set to work with children. To further ensure quality; a CPD programme was designed mirroring the ECT system.
Hearing children’s voices through feedback and measuring and evidencing impact, and safeguarding lie at the heart of the programme.
‘The whole school community are benefitting from learning these skills, which are excellent tools for mental, physical and holistic health. Working with school wellbeing teams as part of a whole school approach, has been integral to the success of the programme’
Yoga Training Experience
Lesley has received exceptionally high quality training at the highly regarded Shala school of Yoga London with inspirational teachers; Gingi Lee, Kath Roberts, Melanie Cooper, Jennie Wadsten, Martin Aylward, Shola Awera, Norman Blair, Anne Malone, Stu Girling and Emily Brett founder of Ourmala.
She believes in lifelong learning and is a certified 500 YTR teacher and continues to train with over 700 hrs behind her and more courses and training on the horizon.
Lesley’s love of yoga and breath and how it connected her more deeply to all aspects of her life, inspired her to share the practice.
She teachers with sensitivity and awareness, fusing her natural skills as a teacher to hold a safe, inclusive space; a space to breath, explore and grow, empowering students to find their own journey and discoveries and move with enjoyment.
She has further training in Meditation, Pranayama, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra Sound Healing. Follow these links to read about Lesley’s love of teaching Yoga.
Reflections on becoming a yoga teacher
10 Pledges of the Breathwork and Movement Programme; What makes it unique and distinctive?
- Introduce high quality real wellbeing practices into schools. The bespoke techniques are based on working closely with children for 20 years
- Ensure they are supported by well trained, dedicated, skilled specialists. All teacher are on a CPD programme , which aligns with ECT when working in schools
- Make these programmes sustainable by helping schools to weave them into the curriculum and school day. Expert understanding of curriculum and the school day, term and year ensures the programme fits in extremely well.
- Promote equity and inclusion by making these practices available to all. 20 years experience of working with children with Autism, ADD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, physical disabilities, Child protection, trauma, has influenced the development of the programme so it effectively serves all children.
- Promote positive relationships within the school; working with wellbeing teams for collective efficacy. Supporting the whole school team is part of the programme and understanding how to work effectively with all to deliver the programme,
- Extend the service to the wider community- recognising the role schools play as a community hub.
- Tech used optimally to broaden the reach of the service and create synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities. Inspired by the work conducted with Professor Stephen Heppell.
- Teachers learn to deliver breathwork techniques in the class as a strategy for transition, de-esculation, concentration, creativity. wellbeing and learning. The second part of the programme takes place in the classroom, where a bespoke programme based on the UK and IPC curriculum supports learning
- Keep it fairly priced. Respecting the school budget and keeping it economical, and respecting the right of the teacher to ensure they have a decent standard of living.
- Make sure childrens’ voices are heard.Children are given the opportunity to give regular feedback, take ownership of the practice and make it their own.
