Multiple teachers at Revere High school have started incorporating yoga exercises into the daily classroom agenda to lessen the effects of stress on students.

Each teacher demonstrates his or her own specific techniques according to what he or she finds most useful, but the intent remains constant; teachers want students to lessen anxiety and regain focus when presented with the pressures of school and testing.

Before students prepare to learn or take a test, teachers help the students practice breathing and mobile exercises, which are supposed to help students retain information and focus on the material they are learning.
A small number of students might believe that the yoga exercises take away test-taking time, causing disapproval of the classroom yoga.

Aside from the time limitations, is classroom yoga a cause worth expanding?

Many students have found the techniques beneficial for both relaxation and focus. Before a stressful test or lesson, students have found that taking deep breaths and allowing the brain to soak in information helps them remember the material better.
Jacqueline Reasor, the psychologist at Revere High School, discussed the goals of yoga in the classroom and how it affects those who practice it.

“I think it helps students be able to focus and be aware of their surroundings. When there is a lot going on they can get really stressed out, so yoga helps everything settle down and [students can] come up with a better plan of attack. As a psychologist I see a lot of kids who have test anxiety or difficulty focusing, so [yoga] helps recognize warning signs about stress quicker, and calm it down and keep control,” Reasor said.

Teachers should consider implementing the classroom yoga techniques as they see fit to learn what best suits their students in each subject and help students improve their classroom learning experience.