In a regular classroom, with the lighting dimmed and classical music floating through the air, senior Avery Sawyer inhaled through her nose and emptied the breath out of her lungs through her mouth. She flexed and released her muscles in various poses to release stress, relax, and learn about the muscles that she utilized.
Yoga in class sounds like a bizarre idea, but Anatomy teacher, Mrs. Lynch, utilizes it to help her students learn and memorize anatomical terminology. When Lynch calls to “flex at both hips,” students are able to recognize that it means to bend over. By connecting terminology with actual physical activity, students can memorize and store into their brains this information so that it is easy to recall when the anatomical terminology test rolls around.
“The first year we actually taught muscle movements, we did not do yoga until a few days after the test, but we changed things up, and I taught the yoga class, we did some more movements, and when we re-tested, there was a huge jump in what their grades were and they all did much better,” said Lynch.
Not only do students benefit academically from the yoga class, but they also benefit physically. Through experiencing yoga, students realize how much relaxation it can bring.
“It’s really relaxing,” said Sawyer. “It makes you feel like you’re relaxing on a deeper level than you ever have before.”
The class began with simple balance and breathing exercises, and increased in difficulty as it went on. Especially at the beginning, uncomfortable giggles were audible around the room, but at the end, it was absolute silence. The only sounds drifting through the air were those of deep breathing and faint music.
“It was interesting. It was kind of challenging because I don’t do yoga,” said Josh Mentzer, senior. Majority of the students in the classroom had never participated in a yoga class prior to the Anatomy yoga day, so among the laughter, there was also a lot of confusion and discomfort. The mixture of commentary among the students varied quite a bit.
Lynch is not new to yoga, unlike some of her students. She taught yoga classes at FAC for fifteen years, as well as instructing a group of elderly people and cancer patients. Although she does not have proper certification, claiming that it takes too much time, she has more than enough experience under her belt to teach students while incorporating anatomical terminology.
“I can do things at forty years old and out of shape that some of my teenagers can’t do, which is really comical to me,” said Lynch.
In the past, a certified yoga instructor was called in to teach the class, but it became too difficult to schedule her. Lynch then took the reins and has been heading the class for the past few years.
Even in a classroom environment, students got the opportunity to experience a yoga class while also learning and memorizing information for their upcoming terminology test. Through this exposure to yoga, Lynch predicts high scores on the test, and the students feel more prepared. The benefits of participating are not limited to learning only anatomy, but physical health tips as well.
“My students really enjoy it, and they remember a lot by doing it,” said Lynch.