How One Teacher Combines Science … with Yoga 

At Dogwood Virtual School (DVS), our teachers bring unique perspectives into the classroom that make learning fun – and meaningful. For high school science teacher Suzanne Berryhill, that passion is yoga. With 14 years of experience in the classroom and more than a decade of yoga practice, she’s found creative ways to blend the two – helping students build not just academic knowledge, but lifelong skills in mindfulness, resilience, and emotional regulation. 

A Teacher to Her Core 

Ms. Berryhill knew she wanted to teach early on. 

“When I was in kindergarten, I told people I wanted to be a teacher, and I never changed my mind,” she shared. “It just became my life’s passion.” 

Her journey to DVS includes teaching at a community college, a private school, and a local high school, where she taught biology, chemistry, earth science, and even forensics (“my favorite,” she admitted with a smile). Now in her first year with DVS, she’s excited to bring her science expertise – along with her passion for yoga – into the virtual classroom. 

Discovering the Power of Yoga 

Ms. Berryhill began practicing yoga around the same time she started teaching. 

“I went into it just wanting to move and be active. But over the years, my practice has shifted more toward the mental aspect – calmness, mindfulness, and regulation,” she explained. 

That shift carried over into her teaching. She began to notice that students often struggled with regulating their emotions. “They weren’t trying to be mean,” she said. “They just didn’t know how to respond.” That realization sparked her desire to bring yoga into the classroom as a tool for helping students manage their stress and emotions. 

Yoga Training with a Purpose 

Ms. Berryhill pursued advanced training with Breathe for Change, a program designed specifically for K–12 educators. 

“I loved that it wasn’t just yoga training. It was about how to bring mindfulness and social-emotional learning into classrooms in a trauma-informed way,” she said. 

Her certification (which took 500 hours to achieve and is the equivalent of an associate’s degree) gave her new tools she now incorporates into her teaching. Sometimes it’s simple breathing exercises. Other times, its helping students use strategies to stay calm under pressure. 

Staying Mindful in a Virtual World 

Teaching online comes with unique challenges, especially when it comes to movement. 

“In a classroom, if I say, ‘Let’s stand up,’ kids are relieved to move. Online, they just look at me like I’m crazy,” Ms. Berryhill laughed. 

Still, she’s found ways to make mindfulness work virtually, from small group activities to digital citizenship lessons tied to kindness. “My favorite phrase in class is, ‘It doesn’t hurt anyone to be kind,’” she said. “And when I hear students quote that back to me a year later, I know it’s sticking.” 

Mindfulness … All Year Long 

This year, Ms. Berryhill is also starting a Mindfulness Club at DVS. Her goal is to give students tools they can use every day – before a test, during a presentation, or in moments of stress. 

“I want them to have strategies like taking three deep breaths before a big exam, or even doing a superhero meditation to build confidence,” she said. “These are skills they can carry with them for life.” 

Looking to the Future 

For Ms. Berryhill, teaching at DVS is not only a new adventure but part of her long-term plan. While she loves the classroom, she’s also pursuing an advanced degree in curriculum and instruction, with hopes of one day designing curriculum for schools nationwide. 

But in the meantime, she’s focused on making her science classes, along with mindfulness practices, a top priority with students. 

“The more we practice these skills ourselves, the calmer and kinder we become,” she said. “And when kids see that modeled for them, it transforms the whole classroom environment.” 

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