The whiteboard at Hanby Elementary’s gym spells out what students can expect in Sarah Speck’s upcoming physical education classes: “March is Yoga in PE.”
Speck is dedicating the month to helping students find their mindfulness through yoga, working with them to align their breath with movement.
“It’s really valuable to be present and aware in your body and be mindful and move around,” said Speck, who completed 200 hours of yoga teacher training and has taken extra coursework specializing in yoga for children. “For me, that’s the number one priority — teaching kids to self-soothe and work on their emotional tolerance and those skills.”
She decided to focus on a yoga practice after noticing a change in behavior among students as the school year progressed.
“A lot of kids are becoming more anxious, they are feeling more trapped into their bodies and having a hard time expressing themselves,” she said. “This is really valuable for that.”
Her students are no strangers to yoga. Speck has introduced elements of yoga in video lessons to students while they were working remotely. The lessons this month, however, take a deeper dive into two branches of yoga — Vinyasa, which incorporates more movement or flows with the breath, and Hatha, which tends to be more seated and introspective.
“I mix both together because my kids need to move but they need to be introspective and still too,” she said.
During a class with fourth-graders on Tuesday, Speck started the lesson with students sitting on the ground and talking them through a breathing exercise.
“Take a moment to breathe in through your nose, deep inhale,” she told the group. “Exhale through your mouth. And think about one thing you are grateful for.”
The students followed Speck’s directions and listened as she talked to them about linking their breath with their movements.
For 20 minutes, she led them through basic yoga stretches and flows, from sun salutations to balance poses, continuously reminding them to breathe.
“Sometimes, when we stretch different muscles in our body that may feel different because we’re sending more oxygenated blood into our muscles,” she told them. “We’re rejuvenating our muscles, making them feel better. If you are not used to stretching, it’s going to feel different.”
She finished the practice by having the students lay on their backs for shavasana pose, giving them three minutes to relax and take some time for deep breathing.
“Remember what you are grateful for,” she told them. “Remember that feeling of gratefulness and thankfulness and extend that through your entire body.”
“If that sounds weird, that’s OK. We’re just trying to remember what you’re thankful for.”
Once the three minutes were over, she invited students to sit up and share how they were feeling.
“Tired.”
“Relaxed.”
“Calmer.”
“Like I want to go to sleep.”
Speck agreed with all their comments.
“When we come into the gym, we want to run around, throw things, kick things and that’s always a fun time,” she told them. “It’s always good to center in, take some time and just breathe. So thank you all so much for taking some time with me to move mindfully.”