Yoga Club helps students destress
![STRETCHING AWAY STRESS. Ms. Meredith Blackmore leads students and even a couple teachers in a yoga pose. At each meeting, students gather in the wrestling room and are led through a simple but effective yoga practice. The students learn how to breathe deeply and calm their bodies. “[Yoga is] good for [students’] mental health, it’s good for their physical health, and it’s good for their emotional health,” Blackmore said.](https://shsleaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/mcelroyfeatureyogaclubphoto-900x675.jpeg)
STRETCHING AWAY STRESS. Ms. Meredith Blackmore leads students and even a couple teachers in a yoga pose. At each meeting, students gather in the wrestling room and are led through a simple but effective yoga practice. The students learn how to breathe deeply and calm their bodies. “[Yoga is] good for [students’] mental health, it’s good for their physical health, and it’s good for their emotional health,” Blackmore said.
Many clubs are a frenzy of activity. However, one is much calmer. Yoga Club is sponsored by Spanish teacher Ms. Meredith Blackmore. It meets for 45 minutes every Monday, and each meeting is essentially a free yoga class.
Blackmore assures students that anyone can do yoga. She makes the meetings such that beginners can participate, while still providing yoga’s rewards.
Yoga, while it may seem simple, actually provides many physical benefits. Yoga helps students become more aware of their bodies and motions. The various poses also improve balance, strength, coordination, and flexibility.
Yoga has a positive physical effect on anyone who does it, whether the individual is an athlete looking to increase strength or just someone who wants to stay healthy.
Additionally, yoga improves posture, which is especially important for high school students since they sit at desks all day. This will also help teens be healthier later in life.
Yoga also provides important mental benefits. According to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2014, teen’s stress levels during the school year were on average a 5.8 out of a ten point scale.
This is higher than the stress level of an average adult, which was reported to be a 5.1. Luckily, yoga can help with this. Yoga is beneficial in that it decreases stress by promoting mindfulness and deep breathing.
“Yoga for a high school student is a way to actually get in touch with their body and their breathing and learn techniques to help themselves destress,” Blackmore said.
It is also valuable for other aspects of mental and emotional health. For instance, yoga is said to improve optimism, focus, and self-esteem.
If you are interested in learning more about the many benefits of yoga, click here.
Overall, any student can benefit from doing yoga, and Yoga Club is an easy way to incorporate it into their week.
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201505/7-ways-yoga-helps-children-and-teens
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress.aspx
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