LA PINE, OR -- A new program at a south county elementary school offers kids a calm start to their day. "There is a lot of need for emotional regulation and need for support around calming our bodies and calming our minds, and being ready to learn," says Rosland Elementary Principal Deborah Buduan.

She says students participate in the Mindful Moments Program every morning after breakfast, together in the gym, "It combines deep breathing, mindful practices with classical music." She tells KBND News, "By the time that 3-5 minutes is done in that gymnasium, it is calm, it is quiet, it’s peaceful. Students then standup and their teachers take them in line back to their classrooms. And they’re in a space where they’re calm and ready to learn." Just six weeks into the school year, and she says teachers already say students are more calm and peaceful.

Some kids just relax during the three-to-five minute session, while others practice deep breathing. "I’ve had a lot of experience with mindful practices as a teacher, and I know the benefits that mindful practice can have on students in helping self-regulate, helping decrease stress levels and increase the ability to learn," says Buduan. "Classical music, we know, has really great benefits for the brain. The complexity in the different instruments and how they weave together, it’s really great for our brain to listen to those and to tease those out. So, it combines that with the physiological effects of basically just breathing. We know that when we breathe deep, it calms our nervous system."

Mindful Moments is used around the country. In La Pine, it’s offered at Rosland through a partnership with the Sunriver Music Festival. Buduan says students also have access to the program throughout the day, if they need a little extra help with emotional regulation.