Breathing Room: A Week of Yoga and Well-being for Teachers in Tenerife

Between lesson planning, staff meetings and the emotional weight of the classroom, teachers rarely get a moment to simply breathe. Yet a growing body of research shows that even a few minutes of mindful movement each day can lower stress and change the whole atmosphere of a school — starting with the person standing at the front of the room.

The course “Yoga for teachers and school staff: Enhancing Well-being in the classroom” took place in Tenerife from 9 to 15 August 2026. Participants arrived from across Europe, including Anna and Alessandra from AES in Italy; Verena and Astrid from Campus Berufsbildung e. V. in Germany; Ewelina, Alessandra and Hanna from YouNet in Italy; and Josephine from Montessori Fachoberschule Nürnberg in Germany.

The week began gently, with ice-breakers designed to help the group get comfortable with one another before stepping onto the mat. A short quiz let each participant take stock of what they already knew about yoga poses, and — just as importantly — of their own personal and professional well-being goals, setting a reflective tone for the days ahead.

From there, the group moved into the theory behind the practice: the vocabulary and philosophy of yoga, paired with a look at the research on mind-body approaches in education and how they can shape a calmer, more supportive school environment.

Mornings quickly settled into a rhythm of yoga and meditation, each session followed by a short round of journaling to put the day’s intentions — and the previous day’s experiences — into words.

Participants also examined how yoga supports emotional intelligence and stress management, practising techniques for emotional balance, teamwork and trust. Pranayama breathing exercises became a daily habit, sharpening focus and easing tension session after session.

One session moved outdoors altogether, giving the group the chance to practise mindfulness surrounded by nature and feel, quite literally, yoga’s calming effect on the body.

By the final days, participants were designing their own simple classroom yoga routines to bring back home — practical tools aimed at improving focus, relationships and well-being for their students as much as for themselves. They left Tenerife with new habits, new colleagues and a clear plan for carrying calm back into their schools.

Discover more about this course here