Did you know that yoga can work every muscle in your body?  This practice, generally considered a way to stretch and reduce stress, is actually promoted as a sport.  Now, students will get a chance to practice that sport.

Beginning next year, Longfellow will offer a new yoga elective. This elective will be only a semester long and just for eighth graders. The hope is that this can help students both physically and emotionally.

Although it can’t be taken in place of your regular PE class, one of the main ideas of the elective is to improve students’ overall wellness. Students will learn techniques to help relieve stress and learn to relax and keep an open mind.

Mary R., a rising 8th grader, is looking forward to taking the elective next year.

“I do a lot of sports, and I thought it would be really fun to do something that could be active and also build good habits for all the other sports I do,” said Mary.

Mary explained that a whole year of the yoga elective would be a bit too much. She also explained that she likes to try new things. She continued to say that she was glad that the elective was only a semester-long.

In addition to the physical benefits of stretching, Mary thinks the mediation will definitely benefit her other activities.

“Especially with sports, [meditation] will help a lot because before games, there’s always some way of [focusing on] how you are going to play. I think that meditation would really help with that.”

According to Katie Madigan, Director of Student Services, the elective was created by the school board.  New electives take a full year to get support and be created.

“I think it’ll really be a nice way to release stress and learn techniques of meditation as well as stretching, the physical component,” Ms. Madigan commented on the chances of success.

The yoga elective seems to be an exciting addition that the school hopes many will sign up for to ease stress. In addition, active components of the sport of yoga will help students’ physical health.