Establishing in children what she calls an internal guidance system prepares them to manage the whipsaw succession of physical, mental and emotional challenges they encounter, Erika Berglund says.

“I try to get kids in touch with their emotions and their energy,” Berglund said at the end of a session Wednesday with eight youngsters 6 to 9 years old at a studio in the Smiley Building. “I get them to identify what they’re feeling first. This is huge.”

Berglund, a hydrogeologist by training, started Energy Awareness and Yoga for Kids 18 months ago. A single class has grown into three for children ages 6 to 14.

A perplexing childhood pushed her to create the class, which incorporates yoga, guided meditation, Reiki, natural medicine, Native American flute and several esoteric practices.

“I was overwhelmed as a child,” Berglund said. “I didn’t know what to do. Once I learned, I decided to teach.”

The secret is to channel one’s energy so it doesn’t become destructive, Berglund said.

“Energy is all-encompassing,” Berglund said. “It can include anger, frustration, fatigue, anxiety and sadness. My objective is to help my students release energy and refocus.”

Classes are once a week. No two are alike, but they have the same goal – teaching the youngsters to take charge of their reaction to external events.

Shellie Douglass is happy with the changes in her daughter, Lily Smith, 7, who started in Berglund’s founding class. The faces of the youngsters when they leave the Smiley Building reveal joy, Douglass said.

“Lily used to be a shy, sensitive kid – not a big talker,” Douglass said. “Now she is more outgoing.”

Cassidy Novak is a precocious 5-year-old who doesn’t talk it up, either, mother Jamie said. Jamie Novak said she was surprised when Cassidy chose Berglund’s class over gymnastics or dance.

“She’s very enthusiastic,” Novak said. “It’s impacted her because I hear her use some of the vocabulary they use in class.”

Doe Youtz knows what daughter Natalie, 12, learns from Berglund has an effect.

“The ride home is nice and calm,” Youtz said. “I can see in her face that she’s comfortable with herself.”

At a session last week, the students alternated between physical activity and quiet time such as yoga, meditation and, seated in a circle on the floor, describing their reaction to something that happened at school or home.

“When I asked the students once if it’s hard to drop off to sleep, all hands went up,” Berglund said. “They’re usually thinking about events of the day and don’t know how to quiet their mind.”

One of the “tools” Berglund uses to teach students to connect with themselves is meditation. She asks them to imagine themselves in their head and then take an elevator down to their heart. They get out and imagine themselves in a meadow, a cave, a treehouse or room, and they explore their surroundings.

“It’s experiential,” Berglund said. “It gets them out of the thought process and into the sensations in their bodies. They see where it takes them.”

In the class with young teens, Berglund stresses the importance of knowing oneself in order to resist peer pressure and valuing the opinions of others above their own judgment.

“The best gift for me is to hear the students’ success stories and how they use their tools,” Berglund said.

If the students learn to live their life from the inside out instead of vice versa, they will develop patterns that will last the rest of their lives, Berglund said.

daler@durangoherald.com