The First Mindful Sit – 2012, Room 18 at Coronado Elementary, Richmond, CA

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After the Winter vacation in 2011-2012 school year, I went into my classroom and said, “Boys and girls, it’s so good to see you. It's a new year, and a new me. I feel so much better and it's because of mindfulness. I would love to share what I have learned” I had them sit in a mindful posture and explained, “We’re going to practice listening to sound and focusing on our breath for two minutes.” All thirty of my third graders looked at me like, "Wait... this is what you left for? So we could sit quietly and breathe?" I rang the bell. Suddenly, they became still and silent. For one minute, we focused on breath. For another, we focused on sound. Then I rang the bell again. No one opened their eyes, like I had asked. They remained still. The energy in the room started to shift—it got lighter anf you could feel the collective relaxation. By the fourth minute, I thought they might be playing a trick on me. But then came the fifth... and the sixth. Slowly, a few eyes began to open. By the seventh minute, the room was calm and silent. I rang the bell to close the practice. I finally said, “I want to hear your voices. What did that feel like?” Their responses where so powerful and every student shared something:
“I felt the safest I’ve ever felt.”
“I felt a peace I’ve never felt before.”
“I felt like I was floating like a cloud”

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We immediately knew that what we were discovering was something that could change education. It

was in that moment that Mindful Life Project was born. With the support of
my third graders in Room 18 at Coronado Elementary, along with former

students and their families, we brought the vision of

Mindful Life Project (MLP) to life.

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The students played a key role in selecting the organization’s name, and they

even approved the logo—an image inspired by our journey.The logo, a dove

flying from an open hand, was created by my mother, Yael Lurie-Larochette,

a world-renowned artist. It symbolizes how my students and I spent five months

cultivating mindfulness and other transformative practices, building both inner

and outer peace. That journey gave us the wings to rise up and build a powerful

nonprofit from the ground up.

 

Since then, while becoming the largest nonprofit of its kind, Mindful Life Project continues to remain rooted in community, student-centered values, and continuous innovation inspired by student voice and agency.

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From Early Growth to Sustained Impact

I took the leap of faith and established Mindful Life Project on May 1, 2012, following over a decade of service to South Richmond, CA youth and their families as a coach, award winning teacher, leader, and community advocate. As a passionate elementary school teacher,  I deeply cared for my students. Like many educators, I carried the emotional weight of their trauma and burned out in the Fall of 2011. I became overwhelmed by anxiety and depression, I could no longer be fully present for his students. Despite months of trying the solutions several doctors prescribed, nothing truly helped—until I discovered mindfulness. Committing to daily practice, I experienced firsthand how mindfulness could rewire the brain toward resilience and mental wellness.

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When I returned to the classroom, I introduced mindfulness

to his students—and saw an immediate shift. My students,

many of whom had experienced significant trauma, began to

show increased self-awareness, emotional regulation, and focus.

Where once conflict and dysregulation had taken up an hour

or more each day, within six weeks, those disruptions became

rare. The classroom transformed into a space of peace

and learning. 

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From January to May 2012, My students and I piloted and

co-created the foundation of Mindful Life Project—                     3 of my students from Room 18 dropping dropping into incorporating daily mindfulness, along with         into mindful sit during the chaos of recess recess (2012) weekly yoga, expressive arts, and performing arts.

United in purpose, we agreed that this work had to reach beyond their classroom—to schools, communities, and children everywhere. Originally, the work focused within our community in South Richmond at 3 schools. Within the following  couple of years I was able to hire more coaches and continued to grow the organization to serve schools in Central and North Richmond as well as San Pablo. By year 3 we reached West Oakland. By year 5, word spread, and we began following our youth as more and more families were pushed out by rising housing costs, starting with schools in Antioch. Fast forward to now and MLP serves schools across the Bay Area, the central coast, and central valley. What started as a team of 5 working part time on a shoestring budget in 3 schools with one program is now a very mature organization that has had up to 70 staff members and a 5-million-dollar budget serving over 40,000 students and their educators a year.

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Mindful Rising

With a strong foundation built at Mindful Life Project I founded Mindful Rising. I am thrilled to help build a wider movement of mindfulness education. Mindful Rising offers consulting services to schools, districts, county offices of education, and organizations, along with professional trainings, student assemblies, and classroom demonstrations. Drawing on my deep expertise in the field, I provide motivational and impactful support that prioritizes both individual and community well-being. If you're seeking to make mental and emotional health the cornerstone of your educational ecosystem, I’m here to help lead that transformation.

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