Welcome to Sigh: A Place to Breathe, Move, and Begin Again

In January 2020, I returned to work as a substitute teacher and paraeducator. My youngest had just completed a strong first trimester of kindergarten, and my husband—also a teacher—and I were all working in the same school district. Our family schedules finally aligned, and it felt like a good time to return to the classroom.

Then, the world changed.

As the pandemic unfolded, I stepped into a long-term substitute teacher role in a multiple-disability special day class, supporting students with extensive needs. I had an emergency credential, a laptop, and the best of intentions. Oh—and I also ran for school board that year. And won.

In March, students returned to in-person learning, and things got a little easier. Teaching face-to-face brought much-needed connection and clarity. By the fall of 2021, I was enrolled in an amazing teaching credential program, working with a field supervisor, and immersing myself in the craft of teaching.

There were days I sat in my classroom and cried. I wanted so deeply to be the teacher my students needed. But the truth was: I felt completely unprepared. My heart was full, but my cup was empty.

Over the next few years, I gave everything I had to my students. I became my own version of Ms. Frizzle—creative, curious, all-in. My students thrived. But inside, I was unraveling with not much left for my family.

I wasn’t practicing the mindfulness, breathing, or emotional regulation I was teaching. I was telling them to take a breath while forgetting my own. And as any good teacher knows, modeling matters.

Then I found myself in a professional development course with a group called Breathe for Change. Their mission—"changing the world one teacher at a time"—stirred something in me. I enrolled in their 200-hour yoga teacher and SEL mindfulness facilitator training.

Something shifted. I wasn’t just sharing tools—I was living them.

And now, we’re here.

Welcome to Sigh.

A place where breath, presence, and softness are enough.

A place for every body and every story.

A place to come home to yourself.

Take a breath.

You're already in the right place.