Inhale, Exhale: Mandatory Mindful Breathing is Coming to Public Schools This Fall

New York City Mayor Eric Adams practices mindful breathing techniques, and beginning Sept. 7, public school students in all five boroughs will too. 

Adams’ new mindfulness program will have students from kindergarten to 12th grade spending between two and five minutes daily practicing mindful breathing. 

Right now, public school teachers are being trained to lead mindful breathing sessions by the Yoga and Mindful Teacher Preparation Program. According to its website, graduates of YMTPP give yoga and mindful breathing sessions to public school students more than once per day.

Adams touts this program as a way to help with students’ mental health.

“We live in a time of toxic social media communities, constant news flashes, and unfiltered alerts, all leaving a toll on the mental health of our students. But, today, it is time for our students to calm their nervous systems down,” said  Adams, while announcing the program in June at Bed-Stuy’s P.S. 5 Ronald McNair school.

“Mindful breathing can be done by anyone, anywhere, and anytime. … Mindful breathing is another way we are teaching our young people healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”

In 2019, when he was the borough president, Adams sought to bring meditation, mindfulness and yoga to all Brooklyn public schools. The program, which first launched in East New York, was interrupted during the pandemic.  

But now, Adams is ready to finish what he started. 

His announcement was met with praise and also criticism. 

"It sure would be nice if Mayor Eric Adams focused less on educational bells and whistles, and more on ensuring city children learn their reading, writing and ’rithmatic," the NY Post Editorial Board wrote in an opinion piece following the announcement. "[H]alf the DOE high-school grads who move on to CUNY community college need remedial classes their first year, meaning the DOE schools graduated them without teaching basic skills."

Bernard Addo, the principal of Vista Academy in East New York, supports Adams’ program and has taught mindful breathing at his school since it opened in 2013. In 2019, Adams paid a special visit to Vista Academy to participate in its mindfulness program. 

“I can attest to mindfulness and meditation,” Addo told BK Reader. “At first, there was a lot of aggression, but [students] improved, and they became calmer. It takes away disciplinary problems, and they learn to challenge energy to more positive behaviors.”

According to the NYS Education Department, Vista Academy has a student attendance rate of 94% and chronic absenteeism of 16.7%, which is lower than other NYC schools.

John Snyder, an English language and yoga teacher at JHS 062 Ditmas in Kensington, teaches breathing and stretching techniques to his students so they can regulate their nervous systems and feel present. 

Snyder claims behavioral issues have declined since he introduced his lessons two years ago and scores have gone up. According to the NYS Education Department, two-thirds of JHS 062 students read at grade level, although their math proficiency is much lower. 

“The critics are wrong, or I wouldn’t be here,” Snyder said. “I tell the students when things feel volatile, remember to do three breaths.”

Anne Desmond, the co-founder of Bent on Learning, a local program that brings yoga to public schools citywide, said the mindfulness program is sorely needed. 

“There’s a lot of research now that proves how breath works, benefits the nervous system, physiologically calms your nervous system,” Desmond said. “You have to be well in order to learn. When you calm down, you’re going to realize for the first time what you’re thinking and feeling.

"I think having this two-to-five program everyday is just going to shift the whole environment and culture. It just makes health and well-being the culture of the school.” 

The first day of school this year will be on Sept. 7.