Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Willits.
Hi Tara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a child, I remember hearing a story at school that asked, “What kind of footprint do you want to leave in the world?” At the time, my parents were going through a painful divorce and I was heartbroken. I remember thinking, “I do not want any other child to feel this way.” Looking back, I believe that is when the seed for The Mindfulness Movement was planted.
Creativity has always been my outlet. I was a competitive dancer my entire life, and movement helped me process so much of what I was feeling. But performing was also stressful. There was a constant pressure to be perfect, and to execute every move flawlessly. Yoga gave me something completely different. It became a space where I could move even more freely, without the pressure of performing.
In college, I majored in child psychology while juggling several jobs that reflected my passion for movement and working with kids. I taught children’s martial arts, dance, worked at a Pilates studio, and performed as part of the Action Pack entertainment team for the Minnesota Timberwolves. During the pandemic, I began working at the Children’s Hospital, and that experience shifted something in me. I witnessed far too many kids arriving in the midst of mental health crises. While I was grateful to support them, I could not shake the feeling that we were meeting them too late. I found myself returning to that same question I first heard as a child — What kind of footprint do I want to leave in the world?
One night, I stumbled across a school hiring for a Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher. Something about it spoke to my soul. I felt called to the opportunity and started right away. It felt like everything aligned. The work lit me up. Creating a safe space for kids to move, express themselves, and receive support without judgment or pressure felt deeply aligned with my purpose.
I care deeply about making mindfulness and social emotional learning feel fun, accessible, and joyful. I pour my heart into every class, and the kids responded with such honesty and excitement. Eventually, I started sharing my work online, hoping it could help other kids yoga teachers feel less alone too.
Today, The Mindfulness Movement has grown into something beyond anything I imagined. I now serve nearly every school in the Mounds View and White Bear Lake districts. I create meaningful experiences for kids, families, and adults. These include Mindful Mornings at Churchill St Restaurant, Yoga Storytimes for hospitalized children and families at Gillette Children’s Hospital, and kids, family, and adult yoga classes through local community education programs. I also coach kids yoga teachers around the world and recently recorded a guided meditation for the Cafesjian Art Trust that will be featured in the Chihuly Ceiling Exhibit.
At the heart of it all is my mission. To help all people–especially children feel seen, supported, and free to grow through what they go through. I hope my story inspires others to find their purpose, trust their voice, and know that there is more than one way to move through the world. For those who never felt called to a desk job, this is your reminder to move mindfully. Your path is worth paving and your passion holds the power to make the world a better place.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Beginning my career during the pandemic was anything but easy. Getting to work downtown often felt tense and uncertain. The streets were quiet, the hospital windows were boarded up, and the building was surrounded by the National Guard. Curfews were in place citywide, and I’ll never forget the night the hospital went into lockdown. Staff were required to stay overnight. It felt like the world was holding its breath.
The work I had studied so hard to do no longer looked the same. Every day brought new restrictions on how we could interact with patients, and those rules changed constantly. I found myself questioning whether I was making the kind of impact I had hoped for. I craved more connection and more opportunity to truly support kids before they reached a crisis point.
That was when I made the decision to step into the school setting. I believed it would give me the opportunity to make a deeper and more lasting impact. Most of the students at my school were refugees and English language learners, and I felt called to support them in a way that honored both their stories and their needs. For a brief moment, it felt like I had found my place. But just as I was beginning to settle in, everything changed again. Schools shifted to distance learning. The once-buzzing classroom, filled with laughter, movement, and connection, fell silent. Students were now logging in from home, their bright energy dimmed by the distance of a screen.
And yet, something beautiful happened. Even through the glitchy cameras and frozen Zoom calls, the kids still showed up with so much heart. Their joy for our time together never faded. Watching them light up, move their bodies, and find moments of peace from home reminded me why I had chosen this path. Their resilience fueled mine.
Adapting to virtual teaching forced me to learn an entirely new skill set. I taught myself how to create digital resources, how to engage through a screen, and how to translate movement into something kids could still feel connected to from their living rooms. That season of trial became a launching point. I began sharing those resources with other educators, and slowly, my work started to reach beyond the walls of any one classroom.
When we finally returned to in person teaching, I was overjoyed to be back in the same space with my students. There’s nothing like the energy of a shared space! I lived for the laughter, the movement, and spark of connection. But teaching yoga for eight hours a day soon became all consuming. My body was exhausted, and my health began to suffer. I found myself running on empty, with little to no energy left for my own life outside the classroom. The needs of my students were profound, and while I poured everything I had into supporting them, there were moments when it felt like no amount would ever be enough.
I realized I could not keep showing up in the way I wanted to without shifting how I worked. If I was going to keep standing in my purpose, it had to be sustainable. So I chose to pivot. Instead of being confined to a single classroom, I created something new — a traveling yoga studio.
This decision changed everything. It allowed me to reach more students, more families, and more educators, all while taking care of myself too. That pivot became the foundation of The Mindfulness Movement and allowed it to grow into what it is today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Mindfulness Movement?
At The Mindfulness Movement, we believe every child, parent, and educator deserves access to tools that nurture confidence, focus, and well-being. In today’s fast-paced, screen-saturated world, stress and disconnection are affecting children and families more than ever. Our mission is to create meaningful, movement-based experiences that help kids thrive emotionally, physically, and socially.
What makes us unique is our blend of mindfulness, movement, and social emotional learning. We specialize in mindful movement classes for children, family yoga experiences, adult yoga classes, school-based mindfulness programs, and digital resources for educators. Our offerings are designed to be playful, purposeful, and easy to implement. From breathing techniques and yoga-inspired games to guided visualizations and SEL activities, everything we teach is rooted in research and built with heart.
We’re proud to serve local Minnesota communities including Blaine, Shoreview, Anoka County, Mounds View, and White Bear Lake, while also reaching teachers and families across the world through our online platform.
Maybe you’re a parent hoping to create calming rituals at home. Maybe you’re a teacher looking to bring mindfulness into your classroom. Or maybe you’re a school leader ready to support student mental health in a more meaningful way. No matter where you’re starting from, we have resources and programs to support your goals.
What truly sets us apart is the heart behind our work. We are not just a yoga program. We are a movement. A movement toward more connected classrooms, calmer households, and empowered kids who feel seen, supported, and strong. We meet children where they are and give them tools they can carry with them for life.
We are especially proud of the impact we’ve made in local school districts, hospital systems, and through our growing global community of educators. The Mindfulness Movement has become more than I ever imagined, but at its core, it is still rooted in the same purpose — helping people grow through what they go through.
We invite you to explore our after-school yoga clubs, family-friendly community events, adult yoga classes, classroom mindfulness tools, and digital downloads for home and school use. Together, we can create a more connected and mindful future. This is more than a movement. It’s a mission to raise a generation grounded in confidence, connection, and care.
What does success mean to you?
Success, to me, lives in the quiet moments — the ones that never make headlines but leave lasting imprints.
It is the little girl who cheers when she hears she is already signed up for my next camp.
It is the crumpled Post-it note handed to me at recess with words that say, “You helped me today.”
It is the student who once rolled their eyes at yoga, now leading the class with pride.
It is the overwhelmed teacher who starts our call in doubt and ends it with a spark in their eyes and a dream that finally feels within reach.
Success is not loud. It is not flashy. It is felt in the spaces where healing begins, where hope is restored, and where someone finally feels seen.
That is where The Mindfulness Movement lives, and that is what success means to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themindfulnessmovement.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.mindfulness.movement/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555501830192
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/themindfulnessmovement/posts/?feedView=all&viewAsMember=true
- Other: https://nextdoor.com/pages/the-mindfulness-movement-mounds-view-mn/
