Yoga turns students’ focus to inner peace, wellness
Max Roeder, a sophomore, tries aerial yoga while his peers observe him. The students were practicing yoga in the Interim Term class, “Yoga and Wellness.”
January 13, 2023
Inside the Student Center, the class “Yoga and Wellness” practiced various poses and methods to help relax the body.
As slow, peaceful music surrounded the students, the teachers walked them through poses that led them out of their comfort zone and into a state of relaxation.
Yoga teachers Ms. Angie Ellis, Upper School math teacher, and Ms. Lauren Stutts, chemistry teacher, agreed that taking a break from the typical day-to-day grind can help reduce the stress that school brings.
“Once I start yoga, I don’t focus on anything else,” junior Lauren Shu said
The yoga class included a wide range of activities from aerial silk work to focus skills, allowing students to explore yoga and what it can do for them. Along with exploring different poses and styles of yoga, meditation was used in the class to bring a sense of calmness into the environment.
“With the high-stress levels of the students here at Kinkaid, it is important to learn how to manage it,” Ms. Ellis said.
According to minderly.com, a website developed by an advanced yoga teacher: “Yoga can help reduce impulsivity, increase patience, and improve the ability to regulate attention.”
In school, students must manage their attention, patience, and work ethic to be able to perform well in their classes, and yoga can help them do just that.
“We do a lot of relaxing stretches and exercises that allow me to be more calm and ease my stresses,” Shu said.
Ms. Ellis and Ms. Stutts led the class through meditation using a soft, comforting tone and asking students to go through a journey in their mind.
“The meditation part of yoga helps me with managing my other classes because whenever I get stressed from school I feel like I can distract myself with meditation,” Shu said.
The benefits of practicing yoga regularly inside the studio can translate to everyday life by strengthening a person mentally and physically.
“Whenever you can fit yoga into your day, it’s effective,” Ms. Ellis said.
