TPP 233: Rupa Mehta on Social Emotional Learning & Learning the Subject of Self
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
29 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 1 day ago
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the Nalini Method and how did Rupa Mehta develop it?
Many times I've seen like tracking kindness, you know, or kind of creating rules and regulations about being kind and being empathetic. But if they're not coming genuinely or you're not really understanding yourself or having empathy for yourself, it's very hard to get to that next level. So I think it's really important to understand the subject of you before you start adding layers on top of it.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Reber. This episode of the podcast features a conversation with teacher, entrepreneur, author and all around health advocate Rupa Mehta to talk about the importance of social emotional learning, but with a bit of a twist. Rupa is the founder of the Nalini Method and Nalini Kids unique and revolutionary workout regimens, which combine physical and emotional exercises for optimal health. As a fitness instructor, Rupa saw firsthand that encouraging her clients to work through their emotions while working out resulted in strengthening their bodies and their minds, and she knew that kids could benefit from this approach as much as adults.
So in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rupa has created a free social-emotional curriculum for kids called Subject of Self. which aims to help students understand the who, what, and why of themselves the same way they would try to understand any subject. The idea being that social emotional awareness comes first from an awareness of your own self. So in our conversation, Rupa is going to talk to us about the subject of self, the importance of the mind-body connection, and about how developing a solid self-knowledge is vital in order for kids to learn to regulate their emotions, understand and deal with stress, and and become better equipped to navigate everything they face in life, whether it be a math exam, a great opportunity, or perhaps even a global pandemic.
And like I said, Rupa has made her curriculum free for this entire school year, so parents who are navigating remote learning, hybrid learning, can work with their child just a few minutes a day on developing their social-emotional learning. All right, and now here is my conversation with Rupa. Hello, Rupa. Welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here.
This is a really interesting conversation we have for parents today. And it's kind of a new topic. And we'll be talking about lots of different things that I think are very relevant for this moment in time and what's happening in the world and this kind of close up view that so many parents are having. to their kids' learning process right now. But before we get into all of that, would you just take a few minutes? I've read your formal bio, but I'd love if you could talk us through a little bit about who you are in the world and tie that into the work that you do.
Yes, I think my journey into mindfulness or social emotional learning started about 20 years ago. I started a fitness studio called Nalini Method. and where I taught adults a killer physical workout. And I named it Nalini Method. I named it after my mom because she was the healthiest person I ever knew. And the reason wasn't because of a six pack or because she could do a marathon. It was more that she had a buoyancy in her body and a openness about her spirit that I always looked up to. And so I really wanted to create that environment for adults because I always felt like working out in a group setting was a very vulnerable thing. And over time, I saw that my clients always said, I wish I had had this when I was younger.
I wish I knew these skills, this particular skill set. And so I decided to volunteer and teach at a middle school in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I taught 13 middle school boys a physical workout. And at the same time, I started playing around with this idea of emotional workouts, the idea that we have emotional weight and physical weight and sometimes physical
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the Nalini Method and how did Rupa Mehta develop it?
0:00–4:27
2
How does Rupa define social‑emotional learning (SEL) and why does it start with the “subject of you”?
4:27–7:15
3
What is the “Subject of Self” curriculum and what problems does it aim to solve for kids?
7:15–10:53
4
How do the physical “workouts” connect emotions to movement in the curriculum?
10:53–13:32
5
What are the emotional‑workout activities and how do they help children process feelings?
13:32–16:50
6
How is the curriculum organized for different grade bands and what does a typical week look like?
16:50–20:52
7
What feedback have students and parents given about the program’s effectiveness?
20:52–24:10
8
Where can listeners access the free Subject of Self resources and get started?
24:10–29:01
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids