IN THE CLASSROOM: North Scott students learn holistic health care through yoga

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By Sheena Dooley | Tuesday, March 4, 2008 12:59 AM CST | () comments

Larry Fisher/QUAD-CITY TIMES Bonita Howes conducts a yoga class for North Scott High School students at the Institute for Therapeutic Massage. Buy this Photo

Students from North Scott High School file into a dimly lit room at the Institute of Therapeutic Massage in Davenport.

The 14 students — mostly 11th- and 12th-graders clad in workout attire — grab yoga mats from a pile and line the wood floor with them. They take off their tennis shoes before stepping onto the mats, unsure of what to expect as they start a yoga routine.

Bonita Howes, an instructor and co-owner of the massage school, tells them about different kinds of yoga and the importance of breathing during the workout. She rattles off the benefits, which include improved flexibility and strength, before starting.

Throughout the next hour, students test their muscles and balance as they assume yoga poses that carry such names as “half moons,” “swan dives,” “the chair” and “upward dog.” In the beginning, some struggled to hide nervous smiles and laughter as they bent their bodies into unfamiliar positions.

“They had never participated in anything like that,” said Becky Edmundson, the students’ regular classroom teacher. “There was a good percentage of them that had no idea things like this existed.”

Edmundson recently took her Health II class to the institute to give them first-hand exposure to holistic health treatments and careers. It is one of two field trips the class will take this semester. Later, students will tour an area hospital to learn about the traditional health care.

In addition to yoga, students toured the massage school and learned different forms of alternative therapies. They meditated, received massages and watched a chiropractic adjustment. Also, they learned the effect different scents have on the body and how to design exercise programs to increase a person’s fitness level.

“Each time we go there, it is to create an awareness for these students that there is a wide range of opportunities out there,” Edmundson said. “These kids are interested in some form of the health field. Basically, this lets them see what works for them.”

After they finish the yoga class, the students begin their lesson in meditation.

They assume a “corpse” position, in which they lay flat on their backs with their arms down at their sides. Howes has them close their eyes and slow their breathing, counting to six as they inhale and to eight as they exhale.

“Relax your mind and let your feet sink into the floor,” she says. “Relax. Teach every part of your body to let go. Work hard to breathe into your muscles and let go.”

By the time they finish the 15-minute session, several students have fallen asleep. Others reluctantly open their eyes and start to get up.

“This is what field trips are about — exposing kids to things they didn’t know was available,” Edmundson said.

Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.

IN THE CLASSROOM

If you know of a classroom that has something interesting going on in it and should be featured, contact Sheena Dooley by calling (563) 383-2363 or e-mailing at sdooley@qctimes.com.

North Scott High School

District: North Scott

Address: 200 S. 1st St., Eldridge

Enrollment: 1,040 students

Grades: 9-12

Student breakdown: 96 percent white, 2 percent black, 1 percent Asian, 2 percent Hispanic and 19 percent low-income.