New children’s book educates on mindful breathing

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This article was published 01/10/2021 (1491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A River Heights nursery teacher didn’t expect a 20-minute class project would evolve into a children’s book.

Karla Dueck Thiessen partnered with Indigenous educators Gloria Baker (Riverbend Community School), Lorraine George (Isaac Brock School) and the River East Church to print 1000 copies of the mindful breathing book, It Starts With A Breath…, in English and Indigenous languages.

Thiessen, an educator at Queenston School in River Heights, introduced mindful breathing into her teachings after noticing children were carrying more stress and anxiety.

To address this problem, she made a PowerPoint presentation with photos and a poem to present at a school assembly.

“I noticed a lot of the kids had big feelings and anxiety. I wanted to help them with their self-regulation and finding a place to ground themselves and feel calm,” Dueck told The Sou’wester.

After people started asking her for copies of the exercises and poem, Thiessen printed 25 books for parents and teachers before moving on to publishing 500 more to meet demand.

“We have trouble connecting to other people if we’re stressed ourselves, so if we can create space to be calm and breathe mindfully then we can become aware of the world around us and make positive connections with others,” Thiessen said.

A granddaughter of immigrant settlers from Russia, Thiessen wanted to do her part in acknowledging the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. Of the 94 calls meant to address the ongoing impact of residential schools on survivors and their families, six are specific to language and culture.

“I thought, ‘What can I do to help engage and show respect to Indigenous peoples and help have their voices heard?’” Thiessen said.

Thiessen approached River East Church and its Truth and Reconciliation Committee for help with the project.

Sandy Loewen, chair of the committee, assisted Dueck in applying for a City of Winnipeg wellness grant. They also hosted a fundraiser where they raised $6,200 to go towards printing costs and an honorarium for translators Baker and George.

They also received funding from Coun. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) and Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre).

“We looked at the calls to action for churches and chose to educate ourselves and our community about the wrongs done in the residential school system and to make apologies,” Loewen said. “We worked on a variety of things, and the book just hit with the whole reconciliation piece.”

Since the first edition, Thiessen has added more kids to make the images culturally diverse.

“When you see someone like you in a book it gives the impression it’s something you can do, too,” Loewen said. “It’s also respectful to the people to not just have an English version. but also versions in their language.”

Thiessen hopes she’ll inspire others to read the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Canada’s Calls to Action and think about how they can make positive change in their community.

“I have learned so much by connecting with these women and learning about their culture and languages, and that has been a real gift,” Thiessen said. “When people broaden their community, they get something back in return.”

Going forward, Thiessen hopes to complete an audio version of the books over the next few months. She will also be distributing copies to 700 outlets throughout the city, including agencies that work with Indigenous families.

“It’s neat to see how many people have become invested and wanted to share the message that our breath keeps us alive and is an easily accessible tool,” Thiessen said.