This year, Westerville South administration added yoga to the list of clubs or activities  offered to students. 

Yoga Club is for any and all students. It is a place where you can learn skills to help reduce anxiety and learn breathing exercises.  

 “What we wanted to do was build skills that would help students manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. It was primarily done to help address building those skills especially with students that need it the most, those that get in trouble sometimes…,” school social worker Noelle Spriesterbach explained.

Spriesterbach believes the amount of students who get detentions could decrease by learning skills taught in yoga. 

Another school social worker, Azalea Tang explained that some of the skills that are focused on in yoga are exercises to calm down. “…taking a little bit of time to focus on your breath and your body has a lot of benefits to clear your brain and reground…and have a reset button you can use throughout the day…,” Tang said.

Yoga provides benefits not only for the body, but also the mind, according to Cassie Coggburn, Engish department chair.   “…for some people they need to move, and that might be why they got a detention in the first place… learning how to control your body, your breath, and your thinking is key to being successful in school,” Coggburn said.

Junior Mia Orlandi shared her first experience from going to a yoga session. “It was really relaxing. I think it can be really helpful for calming down and going to sleep. We did this thing called sleep yoga…,” she explained. “If I had friends there, I think that would be something I would do again,” Orlandi added. 

Students also have the option of participating in a yoga session rather than serving a traditional detention, according to Principal Michael Hinze. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to learn a skill to better develop themselves… one way to help make better choices is to learn to slow down and be a little more mindful of your actions and yoga builds that skill,” Hinze explained. 

Students are aware that if given a detention, yoga is an alternative option, according to Hinze.   “We tell them when they get a detention,” he explained.

Yoga Club is every Thursday in the Media Center from 2:15-3:00 p.m. Yoga mats are provided.