About Us

Meet Dawn — the Heart Behind Motion Lab

Dawn Elsner

Ms. Dawn Elsner

Dawn brings over 25 years of experience working with children—blending yoga, behavior support, and heart-led teaching into everything she offers.

She’s practiced yoga for more than two decades, and after experiencing firsthand how it helped her manage her own ADHD, she knew she wanted to share those calming tools with children and families.

Dawn completed her 200-hour yoga certification through Prem Yoga Center and is certified in children's yoga through Kidding Around Yoga. She also holds certification in trauma-informed outreach yoga with Connection Coalition, and is a certified stretch coach.

As a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), Dawn has supported neurodivergent children in school settings using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Her deep understanding of how kids learn, move and self-regulate makes her classes uniquely effective. Each session blends movement, mindfulness, and play in a way that supports each child- exactly as they are.

This whole-child approach inspired her to create Mommy’s Morning Out—a playful, movement-based drop-off enrichment program where children explore, learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. It’s confidence-building, friend-making fun that gives kids tools they can carry into daily life.

Motion Lab was created from both professional experience working with children and personal experience growing up with ADHD.

Why I Started Motion Lab

As a child, I was constantly told to “sit still,” “stop moving,” and “calm down.” I internalized the idea that my need to move was something wrong instead of something natural. Over time, I learned how deeply that messaging can affect a child’s sense of self and their nervous system regulation.

Now, as an adult working with kids, I see the same patterns every day—children who aren’t “misbehaving,” but are instead overwhelmed, overstimulated, or trying to regulate in the only way they know how: through movement.

Children in a dance or exercise class, standing with their arms raised above their heads, wearing colorful shirts, in a bright studio with a wooden floor.

My goal is simple: to help children feel safe in their bodies, instead of feeling like they have to fight against them.

Motion Lab was born from the desire to do it differently.

It’s a space where movement isn’t corrected—it’s used as a tool. Through yoga-inspired play, obstacle courses, breathwork, and mindfulness activities, kids learn how to understand their bodies, regulate their emotions, and build focus in an empowering way.

Motion Lab is about teaching kids what I wish I had learned earlier—that movement is not the problem. It’s part of the solution.

Two young girls practicing yoga lying on their backs on colorful yoga mats, holding their feet in the air, in a room with blue walls, cabinets, and potted plants.

More than yoga–a whole new way to help kids thrive

From sensory play and confidence-building games to functional movement and real skills-building, we focus on what matters most–helping every child feel strong, seen, and supported.

Two young girls practicing gymnastics in a colorful indoor gym, one in the foreground balancing on a yellow mat with a checkered pattern, the other in the background doing a high kick on a blue and red padded mat.
Motion Lab teacher and child doing yoga

At Motion Lab, we create joyful, movement-based experiences that supports the whole child. Our programs blend playful physical movement, mindfulness, behavior-informed strategies, and social-emotional learning- helping children build confidence, body awareness, and emotional tools that last a lifetime. 

Whether it's a stretch session for a junior athletes, a calm corner in a homeschool pod, or a themed Mommy's Morning Out, each experience is designed to feel safe, engaging, and empowering. We meet kids where they are–honoring energy, learning styles, and unique needs.

Our programs support children's growth across physical, social, and emotional areas

Benefits & Skills Covered

  • Build self esteem and confidence

  • Reduce stress and anxiety through mindful movement

  • Improves focus and attention

  • Develop fine and gross motor skills

  • Increase strength and agility

  • Foster positive relationships and social skills

A woman sitting at a desk in an office, working on a laptop, with a large window behind her showing a cityscape.

Our Programs