The task was daunting for the classroom of Minneapolis third-graders: maintaining their balance as they walked across a set of fitness blocks, eyes closed, with only the hands of their classmates as guides.
The practice demanded trust, mindfulness and, of course, the occasional exclamation.
"So scary!" one third-grader cried out while navigating the blocks at Pratt Community School, flanked by two peers for support.
"Are we at the end?" another asked.
This exercise is part of a yoga instruction called Yoga Calm, brought to all of Pratt's third- to fifth-grade classrooms and to schools around the metro by St. Paul-based 1000 Petals. Pratt has seen an uptick in children dealing with stressful home situations, such as unstable housing, homelessness, family deaths and living in unsafe neighborhoods, said school Principal Nancy Vague. She said she hopes the calming strategies can help students better manage their emotions and behaviors.
Students around the metro have been morphing into young yogis for years, but educators now have a better sense of how practicing yoga can help kids manage stress from issues they face at home and at school, said Kathy Flaminio, founder and president of 1000 Petals.
The movements are purposeful. For example, a tree pose isn't just a stance, but a way for kids to feel safe within their bodies, she explained.
"Our whole theme today was grounding — how to stay connected, what it means in your body, what to think about when kids are worrying about all these things," Flaminio said after instructing a class at Pratt last week.