What is mindfulness meditation and why should you care about it? Mr. Laboski, leader of the Pennridge Mindfulness Club, comments that mindfulness is “paying attention and being present in whatever you are doing.” By implementing mindfulness into your life, you can dramatically decrease stress and increase your attention. Mindfulness is currently not popular within Pennridge High School. As students, it is easy to put these thoughts in the back of our minds. We all have busy lives with homework, sports, and other responsibilities. Without practicing some form of mediation, you are not “watering the dry spots to your garden” as said by former yoga student Zachary Perez at Honor Yoga in Princeton, N.J. Without yoga, there are certain parts of your body that normally do not experience much blood flow. If you practice simple methods of yoga, you are able to stretch the areas that lack circulation.

Similar to mindfulness, yoga is also about just simply taking a moment. Brittany Thatcher, former student and instructor at Honor Yoga, emphasizes that yoga improves your self-esteem. “Whether you are an athlete or not, it helps build body awareness and strength comfortably,” she added. As an avid partaker in yoga, she believes mediation and yoga should be practiced ideally every day. It is also important for high school students because we are at a self-discovery phase. Brittany realizes the importance of yoga for students as she plans to visit high schools to further spread her knowledge.

These are the skills we need to take with us in the real world when we are exposed to new stressors. Past negative experiences have a huge impact on our bodies than we may realize. Any type of trauma or personal struggles you have experienced affect the way you breathe, the way you stand, and the way you relax. There are things in your life that you probably still carry with you without acknowledgment. It is not uncommon to cry when you are taking part in yoga. Zachary adds that yoga presents you with your trauma and allows to release it from your body. Practicing yoga allows you to be completely free from all your struggles.

Now that the importance of yoga is identified, here are some resources to get yourself involved. If you are a student at Pennridge High School, consider signing up for the Mindfulness Club during RAMS activity days. If you are interested in a physical aspect, there is also a yoga club available for students. Community members in the Perkasie area offer classes at the Shine Yoga center. They have a variety of classes for all comfort levels. If you wish to contact them, you can visit their website and find all the information by simply looking them up. If you rather have a fun class involving animals, it is recommended to give goat yoga a try. Goat yoga classes are offered in Bucks County at Carousel Village in Newtown, P.A. Will you take this crucial step towards your health and well-being? Namaste friends and good luck on your journey towards a stress-free life.