Rhythm of Change has been carrying out Mindfulness and Yoga sessions at St. Martin de Porres since September 2015.
Classes are held once a week and incorporate Sun Salutation routines with various postures. Classes are sometimes held at the school and on average 45 children attend. Sometimes as a reward for good behavior 15 children are taken to Om Shanti Belize to attend class and to play with he resident yoga dogs. All the sessions last around 45- 60 minutes. Jenna Lipman who is the assistant program coordinator at St. Martins and CALS instructor for Project HEAL, said that she has observed that since students started to practice Yoga there have been noticeable changes in their behavior. “They are better able to navigate stressful situations in a way that is peaceful.” says Jenna. While before, the children’s first instinct was to hit or tease someone else, she observes them dealing with conflict by speaking with the adults supervising or walking away
In January ROC will begin classes every day with the Standard Three students as a pilot program to extend it to the whole school in the coming years.