Author, pilates and yoga instructor, and loving mother Jesse Bennett has found a way to combine all of her passions. She writes and illustrates children’s books that spread a positive message of kindness and mindfulness and often includes yoga and breathwork movements for parents and children to do together.

Bennett fell in love with yoga in college and has been teaching for more than 20 years. She found that the practice helped her embrace her own body and harness its power. The brainstorm for her mindfulness-infused books came from her children. 

“My daughter struggled to fall asleep at night and I wrote her a meditation to help calm her mind. Then I started doodling and making notes around the meditation,“ says Bennett. “That is how my first book came to be.

That first book, “The Yoga House,“ was published in 2018. In addition to the narrative story, the book includes a nighttime meditation like the one Bennett wrote for her daughter, several journaling exercises, and a series of affirmations such as “I am strong,” “I am loved,“ and “I am special.” 

Since then, Bennett has written three other books, “Sunshine,” “Lift,“ and “Ripple.” She’s currently working on a new release titled “Bloom.”

An article published by Harvard Health cites studies that show yoga can improve children’s focus, memory, academic performance, and self-esteem while reducing stress and anxiety levels. Similar research has shown that yoga can address the core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) like hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness.

“Yoga is an incredible tool to ground us, tap into how we feel, get the wiggles out, breathe deep, and come home to ourselves,” says Bennett. “My hope is that kids and families are inspired to love who they are [and] lead with kindness towards themselves and others.”

In addition to writing and illustrating books and teaching regular pilates and yoga classes near her home in Roseville, California, Bennett is the in-house wellness expert at “Good Day Sacramento.” She also visits local schools to read from her books and lead meditation and yoga activations. It was on one of these recent classroom visits when Bennett recognized the impact her work was having.

“Recently, I visited a school, and after we did our I AM Affirmations together, a sweet 4th grader shared she had a really hard morning and that my books made her feel better about herself,” says Bennett. “That melted me because if one child feels a little more loved, seen, connected, and celebrated because of my words it is all worth it.”