West Valley advanced yoga students ease into their days
Published Saturday, April 26, 2008
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!
Downward dog and how to engage kidney loops aren’t normally taught in a English classroom, unless it’s Jessica Colp’s classroom at West Valley High School.
This is Colp’s second year teaching yoga courses at the school and her students said yoga in the morning has made a noticeable difference on the rest of their day.
“I don’t worry as much,” Emily Lanni said.
Her classmate Anna Maniaci agrees and adds the stress disappears during the yoga session and if it comes back, it does so gradually.
Half of Colp’s room is a regular classroom filled with desks and a white board complete with tips on how to complete a research paper but the other half is a serene yoga studio. The students say the lamps, scented oils and relaxing music enhance the yoga experience.
Colp said when she first started using the room, students would tell her it seemed sterile but with work and student input, the room now has personality.
“It’s almost like we influence the atmosphere,” Ben Genaux said.
The students influence more than the atmosphere in Colp’s yoga class, they also have a say on what the focus of the day’s yoga will be. On Thursday, the majority of the class want energy for the rest of the day. It isn’t a bad idea until Colp has the class clasp the yoga blocks between their legs for the dreaded donkey kicks.
“You guys said you wanted more energy,” Colp said over a sea of groaning and kicking students.
The yoga class’s democratic nature is something Maniaci especially enjoys and said when a fellow student brings in a new pose or exercise, everyone is excited to learn and incorporate it.
The class also incorporates partner yoga, an activity that Colp said showcases yoga’s ability to instill self-awareness in her students. She points out the ease and trust the students have with each other when they are told to pair up.
“Everyone has a great attitude and we’ve built a neat little community,” Colp said.
Colp brought the idea of a yoga class to administrators two years ago and it was presented to West Valley students as a course request. When all of the requests came back, Colp said 175 students wanted yoga. Two classes were added last year and this year, an additional advanced course was added. Colp now teaches three sections of yoga and two sections of English.
Each yoga session ends with a meditative shivasana session. It gives the students a chance to return to their day in aa less stressful way. During the session the students reflect on themselves and their surroundings before going back to the hectic world of high school.
“How will your day unfold?” Colp asks her students.
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
Boy, the paper is really stretching it with this story.
(Just thought I'd say that before someone else did.)
BTW, Wasn't Yoga that little green guy in Star Wars?
Finally, a physical education class that is not all about competing. Congratulations to the school and especially to Ms. Colp for being so innovative as to think of what is good for the students! A caring teacher!
Interesting.....
except for the fact that now the teacher teacher more yoga than english....
'three sections of yoga and two sections of english'
isnt this something the children could get at...say...the Fairbanks Athletic Club.
More english - less yoga...then when I am interviewing a young man or woman they won't call me 'dude' or say things like 'zup' and 'yo' during a job interview....
guess these kids would probably say 'far out' and 'groovy' though...maybe an improvement...
Thanks for showing us what century you guys are from. Keep the comments coming, they are funny and very revealing about you.
Bravo Ms. Colp and Bravo West Valley and the school district for supporting this excellent opportunity for the students. Some families can't afford to join the Fairbanks Athletic Club - duh. This is teaching kids a critical life lesson in how to combine taking care of themselves with still getting their work done. I wish Ms. Colp would come teach at my work place.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.