Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Fleming.
Hi Emily, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I was born and raised here in Baltimore and started practicing yoga at 16 at my mom’s urging. As a two-season athlete, it was great between season practice for me, and I always realized how much less stressed out I felt on my drive home from class.
A few years later, I was working at a ranch in Montana the summer after my freshman year. I had experienced an intense personal trauma earlier that year, and my boss in Montana was enrolled in her yoga teacher training, so I did yoga with her almost every afternoon. Yoga was a way through the pain for me – it helped me navigate through the dark places and towards healing.
Once I returned to college that fall in Maine, I found a local yoga studio that offered classes in the exact style that I had grown up practicing. It was in a beautifully restored church, and I fell in love with the studio, and the people there. The two co-owners became my mom’s away from home, and it was there that I completed my 200-hr yoga teacher training in my junior year of college.
After college, I moved to Chicago as a Teach for America corps member and was teaching special education at a school on the west side. I ended up doing yoga with my students almost daily as a means for all of us to give our brains a break and get through the day. That’s really where I solidified my vision of offering yoga to all kids in all schools – not as an add-on or something to be signed up for or paid for – but as an integral part of the day.
I taught for 2 more years in Chicago until my heart told me I had to follow my dreams – I was unhappy and overwhelmed and decided to pursue a role teaching yoga as a full-time, salaried enrichment class at a school somewhere.
I think everyone (including myself from time to time) thought I was crazy to be walking away from a full-time job with a salary and good benefits to create something that didn’t exist, but I had to do it.
I ended up interviewing with many principals up and down the East Coast and eventually landed at a school back here in Baltimore, where I’ve been teaching yoga and mindfulness now for the past 7 years. In my class, I use yoga and mindfulness as tools for exploring emotional competencies like empathy, and skills like self-management.
I’ve been supporting fellow kids yoga teachers for many years now through an online course and mentorship program I offer, and it’s been through this work that I realize I’m ready to pivot out of the classroom and into supporting teachers and schools full-time.
I completed the Social Innovation Lab Accelerator 2021 at Johns Hopkins University and recently incorporated my new venture, Yoga In Classrooms and Schools Consulting, which supports schools and districts in developing and implementing tailor-made yoga and mindfulness programming geared towards the specific values, needs, and goals of the school community.
We are currently enrolling schools for the 2022-2023 school year, and I’m looking forward to growing this business to a point where I can transition out of the classroom for good.
As a certified educator and certified yoga instructor for both children and adults, and as a teacher who has been to the brink of burnout and back multiple times, I’m also passionate about supporting teachers in prioritizing their own self-care and well-being.
For me, teaching yoga and mindfulness is all about providing tools for kids and adults to navigate the daily ups and downs of life that we all experience.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a windy road, for sure. Getting through the personal trauma I experienced in college was a struggle. When my friends found out what had happened, they ditched me.
I thought I was fine and unaffected when in reality, I had a big gaping hole inside. My grades dipped. I started leaving social events in tears. It manifested in unhealthy habits and patterns of showing up in relationships that I’ve had to work through for years. Healing is never easy, but it is always worth the effort.
I’d say too, leaving the classroom to pursue the current role I’m in was a struggle. I was trying to create a class that didn’t exist, and I heard “no” a lot. I had to get clear on what I wanted and why, and I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I’m going through a similar struggle now as a new founder of Yoga In Classrooms and Schools Consulting. I still haven’t gotten the first “yes” yet, and it can be so discouraging and frustrating to hear “no” over and over again.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Yoga In Classrooms and Schools Consulting?
Yoga In Classrooms and Schools Consulting works with schools and school districts around the country to develop customized yoga and mindfulness programming for students, staff, and families.
We’re different because we work directly WITH schools to determine their needs and values, and we create programming that fits them and can be easily integrated into their existing curriculum and programming. We don’t want yoga and mindfulness to be add-ons, because we believe that they’re most impactful when they’re a part of the school culture and daily life.
I’ve developed a 3-year curriculum in my current role as the Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher at a local charter school, so I have experience developing a curriculum that takes into account existing initiatives like Project-Based Learning and Arts Integration. I’m also both a certified educator with 10 years of classroom teaching experience and a certified yoga instructor, and that combination also allows me to differentiate myself.
We’re still very young, but brand-wise, I’m really proud of our logo and the way we strive to differentiate ourselves. I think we’re meeting a need that school leaders may not know they have if that makes sense.
We are actively enrolling schools for the 2022-2023 school year, so reach out if you’re a school leader who sees the value of yoga and mindfulness but is looking to implement programming that is tailored to the needs of your school.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to collaborate with me is to connect with me on social media at @emilyflemingyoga.
As I mentioned, I focus a lot of my time leading events focused on yoga and self-care for educators, but I do teach at special events that are in alignment with education, self-care, and wellness, so I’m open to collaboration requests there.
I’m a big believer in giving back and getting yoga to as many people as possible, so in addition, check out the classes I teach through Free Baltimore Yoga.
Contact Info:
- Website: emilyflemingyoga.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/emilyflemingyoga (@yogainclassroomsandschools)
Image Credits
E. Brady Robinson and Irena Stein
