A few years before retiring from teaching in 2011, Patricia Lavey did something different in her third-grade classroom at Martin Elementary School. She added yoga to her lesson plan.

Lavey, who retired from a 35-year career that ended with being named Manchester's teacher of the year, is now a certified yoga instructor for adults and children. She can often be found returning to Manchester classrooms to demonstrate yoga and speak about its benefits.

"Kids have a hard time centering and self-regulating," Lavey explained. "[Yoga] has really helped with that."

Lavey visited Peri Comollo's third-grade class at Bowers Elementary School Oct. 9 to lead students through a few different yoga exercises.

"Anybody can do yoga," Lavey said to the students circled around her. "You are all very, very special yogis."

Comollo, who invited Lavey to come to her class, said she uses yoga in her classroom daily. She said that even if it's only during a brief transition period from one lesson to another, it helps.

"It does seem to have a calming effect," Comollo said.

Using yoga to connect children to their minds and bodies, Lavey said, can be incorporated into testing and other schoolwork.

"The breathing exercises were very helpful in testing," Lavey said. "You can also use yoga in the classroom to energize."

Comollo said that doing certain yoga exercises early in the morning gets her students ready and more awake for the day. And the opposite also holds true. Her more energetic students can become relaxed after doing certain yoga poses and breathing exercises.

Visit link:
Retired Manchester Teacher Brings Yoga To Classrooms