In the counseling office of School 66 North Park Middle Academy, two fifth-graders planted their hands and feet onto yoga mats.

Heads facing the mats, they ground their fingers and heels onto opposite ends and pushed their hips up high, social worker Mary Jo Gervase recalled.

The boys, who frequently disrespected teachers and fought with classmates, moved out of downward facing dog and into other yoga poses: upward dog, gorilla pose, tree pose.

Somewhere along the way, the students had a realization: Sometimes, you just have to breathe.

Gervase sees student after student struggle with sadness, anxiety and anger because of their traumatic backgrounds some are homeless, others lost family members from shootings, many lose sleep from domestic violence or have incarcerated parents.

She believes yoga counteracts their inclinations to misbehave. On Sunday, her dream to bring yoga to more Buffalo Public Schools students came to fruition. A Manhattan yoga studio had 200 extra mats to donate, and Gervase is dispersing them to North Park Middle Academy, City Honors School, School 32 Bennett Park Montessori and School 54 Dr. George E. Blackman School of Excellence. Jason Ross Brown, a Buffalo native who lives in San Francisco, happened to be in New York City this weekend, saw Gervases ad on Craigslist and offered to drive the mats to Buffalo.

I am in awe, Gervase said Sunday as she, Brown and a group of her family and friends unloaded his truck at The Foundry, a workshop space for artists on Northampton Street where Gervase will store the mats this summer. I am so happy. I just cant believe the whole thing came together.

Two years ago, while counseling at School 54, Gervase started a therapeutic and preventative yoga program, bringing mats in from home and using the carpeted floor when she didnt have enough. She posted an ad on the Bolder Mat Companys website requesting donated yoga mats.

Just last week, the owner of Manhattans Yoga Vida saw Gervases request, called her and said she had 200 used mats that needed a new home. The mats are worth about $7,000 all together.

Gervase needed a way to get the mats to Buffalo, so she posted an ad on Craiglist. Friday, Brown called Gervase and said hed be happy to drop them off as hes visiting family today, anyway.

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Buffalo students learn to handle their emotions on yoga mats