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Students of all ages suffer from increasingly stressful lives and they often lack the opportunities and tools to relax, reflect, strengthen, and focus. This reality negatively impacts their self-confidence, relationships with others, physical health, and academic performance. In response to this persistent and growing problem, The Wellness Initiative was founded in 2006 to deliver secular wellness programs to K-12 students in Colorado. The mission of The Wellness Initiative is to improve the physical health, social and emotional development, and academic performance of low-income youth through yoga-based wellness programs. We will serve 1,700 students and 250 classroom teachers in at least 17 schools during the 2009-2010 school year.

Did You Know:

Experts estimate that anywhere between 10-15% of all children and adolescents have symptoms of a mental health disorder severe enough to cause some level of impairment. These conditions can include: depression, substance abuse, stress, anxiety disorders, ADHD, bipolar disorder and eating disorders.
The combined prevalence of anxiety disorders is higher than that of all other mental disorders of childhood and adolescence. The one year prevalence in 9-17 aged children is 13%.
Use of psychotropic medication for children and youth has increased sharply with more than $1 Billion spent in 1998 for these medications. Stimulants and antidepressants account for about 2/3 of the bill.
In the US today, more than 9 million children are overweight. The majority of these kids — as many as 80% — will become obese adults, and will be at higher risk for some of today's deadliest diseases: heart disease, stroke and diabetes.