Investing in Our Team, Supporting Our Community At Oak Hill, our students thrive when our team is grounded, resilient, and emotionally present. To continue building a supportive, trauma-informed learning environment, our staff recently participated in a transformative wellness and nervous system regulation training facilitated by Kathy and Michael from Terra Numa.
The Science of Staying Calm in High-Stress Moments
Working
in a therapeutic setting requires continuous emotional energy and presence. Terra Numa led our educators and staff through their signature Exhale Framework—a somatic, breath-based approach to regulating the nervous system.
Through targeted breathing exercises, our team explored:
Down-regulation: How to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to quickly diffuse stress.
Micro-resets: Practicing sub-two-minute breathwork techniques designed to fit seamlessly into a busy school day (in a hallway, before a meeting, or during a tough transition).
Physiological Change: Understanding how changing our breathing patterns directly signals safety to the brain and body.
Stepping Into the Cold: Training the Stress Response The highlight of the day was an optional cold plunge experience. Guided by Terra Numa’s expert facilitators, staff members stepped into ice baths—not as a test of endurance, but as an intentional practice in stress management under discomfort.
By using guided breathwork while submerged in freezing water, our team practiced staying calm and focused when the body’s natural impulse is to panic. This directly parallels the work we do every day: maintaining composure and offering a safe, stable anchor during challenging moments.
Why This Matters for Our Students: The Power of Co-Regulation Children and adolescents look to the adults around them to gauge safety. When our staff are regulated, grounded, and equipped with somatic tools, we can effectively co-regulate with our students when they feel overwhelmed.
As part of this training, our staff gained ongoing access to Terra Numa’s Exhale Reset digital resources, empowering them to maintain a personal daily breathwork practice throughout the school year.
Watch: Oak Hill staff participating in Terra Numa’s cold plunge regulation exercise.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. By giving our staff tools to regulate their own nervous systems, we are directly investing in the safety, warmth, and therapeutic quality of our classrooms.” — Kyle O’Brien, OHS Executive Director
