Shanthi Project

06/03/2026

Next up: congrats to Heather Bennett-Knerr, this year's Outstanding Partner in Education! 🏆 At Now & Zen on June 26th, we'll be honoring her for her exceptional commitment to integrating mindfulness practices into Clearview Elementary School, where she serves as principal.

For years, we've deeply appreciated Heather's support and genuine partnership. Her dedication to mindfulness has contributed in *big ways* to enhancing the well-being and focus of Bethlehem Area School District students and educators alike!

Join us at Now & Zen: Mindful Moments, Lasting Impact to celebrate Heather and the rest of our award winners! Learn more and get tickets at ShanthiProject.org/Now-And-Zen.

06/02/2026

Last week, Shanthi Project wrapped up Mental Health Awareness Month by sharing mindfulness with students at Emmaus High School. During lunch periods, Jocelyn and Sarah ran a table outside the cafeteria and engaged students in simple mindfulness and gratitude practices (as you can see in the first photo!).

The two of them also shared techniques for self-regulation when students are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. This time of year, high schoolers have a lot to contend with — exams, graduation, big life changes — and mindfulness is the perfect tool to help.

Thanks to Emmaus for having us! 🐝

05/29/2026

Now & Zen is less than a month away! We're excited to announce our second award winner, Just Born, Inc., the recipient of our Mindful Champion Award.

This title recognizes a foundation, business, or corporation whose support has been critical to our mission, providing essential resources for our evolution and growth as an organization. Over the course of our partnership, Just Born has done just that — and more!

Their generous grant awards have been instrumental to our work, allowing us to deliver (and expand!) our Calm + Kind + Focused in-school mindfulness programming to students of all ages across the Lehigh Valley.

Join us on June 26th to celebrate all of our award winners! Get tickets at ShanthiProject.org/Now-And-Zen 🎟️ If your company is interested in sponsoring Now & Zen, please visit https://www.shanthiproject.org/sponsors/now-zen.

05/28/2026

Check out Shanthi Project's tabling setup for Lincoln Elementary Kindergarten Welcome Day last week! At community events like this, we introduce mindfulness to kids and their parents by leading short, fun, and approachable practices. Here, we offered a selection of breathing flashcards, a calming glitter jar, mindful crafts, a breathing ball, and sweets to practice mindful eating. 🍬

05/26/2026

Our sincere thanks are due to Dunkin'! As a Gold Sponsor of Now & Zen, they're helping us do more than just plan a great party — they're supporting our work and enabling our delivery of meaningful mindfulness programming to our community members. Through their generous support, they also help us expand our reach and touch more lives than ever. Their support means the world to us, and we're so grateful!

→ If you're interested in becoming a sponsor of Now & Zen, head over to our website to learn more about sponsorship levels and benefits: https://www.shanthiproject.org/sponsors/now-zen
→ This event is officially one month away, and there's no better time to reserve your tickets! Get them on our website: https://www.shanthiproject.org/now-and-zen

05/25/2026

Throughout Mental Health Awareness Month this May, we've been reflecting on our mission and its connection to health and wellbeing. Since our founding, we've recognized the important role that mindfulness can play in building robust mental health and creating healthy, vibrant, and resilient communities.

But what exactly does practicing mindfulness do to the health of our minds and bodies? How can the simple acts of noticing and breathing regulate our nervous systems, bringing us peace?

We wrote about mindfulness, stress, and the brain in our newest blog post for Mental Health Awareness Month. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the psychological AND physiological impacts of mindfulness!

What are the parts of the brain, and what exactly do they do? When you practice mindfulness, what happens in your mind and body?

05/23/2026

The countdown is on... Now & Zen is just about one month away! Have you gotten your tickets yet?

This June, you're invited to a celebratory bash recognizing just how far Shanthi Project has come over the years — and honoring those who have been there, by our side, for the journey. Now & Zen is also our biggest fundraiser of the year: the perfect opportunity to show your support for our mission of mindfulness education. Demand for our programming continues to grow, and we need backing from our community to meet it, continue to expand, and reach as many people as we can.

So, are you in? More info and ticketing can be found on our website at ShanthiProject.org/Now-And-Zen.

(Also: If you or your company are interested in being a sponsor of this event, please get in touch by sending us a message or visiting ShanthiProject.org/sponsors/now-zen)

05/22/2026

Another successful tabling event, held just last week at March Elementary's STrEAM night! Shanthi instructor Annie met lots of local families, leading mindfulness practices for students and sharing our mission with community members.

Families stopped by to take a deep breath or two and shake out their bodies to balance all the excitement of the event. Kids also got the chance to engage in some mindful art by assembling a "breathing bead wand."

What a beautiful evening! Thanks to all those at March for having us — including their principal, Mr. Gonzalez (pictured in the first photo below).

05/20/2026

Another day, another shout-out to one of our generous partners! For the current school year, Fidelity Bank awarded us a $3,000 grant to support our Transition to Kindergarten Initiative in the Easton Area School District.

With this grant, our instructors were able to deliver Shanthi Project's evidence-based, life-changing mindfulness curriculum to local kindergarteners, focusing on age-appropriate strategies that help regulate the classroom and promote a focused, supportive, and constructive learning environment.

Many thanks are due! We wouldn't be able to do this important work without the help of our partners, including the generous Fidelity Bank. We truly value their commitment to our vision of a resilient and mindful Lehigh Valley.

05/19/2026

In the lead-up to Now & Zen on June 26th, we're highlighting this year's award winners! First up, we have The Northampton County Juvenile Justice Center, longtime partner of Shanthi Project and recipient of our Community Collaboration Award.

This award honors a nonprofit or community organization that, by working with Shanthi Project, has demonstrated a strong commitment to community wellness.​ For well over a decade, the NCJJC has gone above and beyond this criteria.

In Shanthi Project's early days, they were one of our first collaborators, partnering with us to lead yoga classes for select groups of youth. Now, our classes have expanded significantly, intertwining mindfulness and yoga during weekly sessions. The NCJJC's ongoing collaboration and community engagement has meant the world to us over the years.

Join us on the 26th to celebrate them and all our other award winners! Get tickets at ShanthiProject.org/Now-And-Zen. And if your company is interested in sponsoring Now & Zen, please visit ShanthiProject.org/sponsors/now-zen.

P.S. The graphic below features artwork by one of our incredible mindfulness students at the NCJJC!