Parkside Elementary Students De-Stress For FCAT

How can students “stretch” minds and bodies simultaneously? It is quite simple. Students in Rita Geller’s third-grade class at Parkside Elementary School in Coral Springs are using yoga to de-stress for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Gentle eye stretches, careful and slow head turns, shoulder shrugs and deep breathing are a few warm-up strategies to relax and reduce stress in students. The Warrior, Sun Salutations, the tree and the bird are simple yoga postures that help increase concentration and attention. The exercises calm the mind and quiet the body. The deep breathing relaxes the muscles to create a general feeling of well-being and positive thinking. Geller says her students look forward to the mini exercise sessions. “As they concentrate, focus, and balance, their mind and body relax and their concentration improves,” she said.