2nd graders at Schwenksville Elementary participating in yoga

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Expanding Recess Wellness Through Yoga

Elementary students face increasing academic, social, and emotional demands throughout the school day. This school-based yoga initiative will support student well-being and readiness to learn by providing structured opportunities for movement, mindfulness, and emotional regulation.

Mrs. Kathy Long requested yoga mats for a voluntary recess yoga club for students K-5 at Schwenksville Elementary School. The yoga club is designed to help students build healthy coping strategies while improving focus, behavior, and emotional wellness in a safe, inclusive environment. Beyond the recess club, teachers can also check out yoga mats to use for classroom-based yoga and mindfulness activities.

Through guided breathing, stretching, mindfulness, and relaxation exercises, students will learn self-regulation skills they can use both at school and at home. Yoga has been shown to help elementary students:

  • Build body awareness
  • Strengthen emotional regulation
  • Improve focus and concentration
  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Promote positive classroom behavior

By integrating mindfulness and movement into the school day, the program supports the “whole child” approach to education and fosters a positive learning environment.

The yoga club will serve approximately 25 students at a time during recess sessions. The recess yoga club will be open to any interested student with parental permission, promoting inclusion and early exposure to healthy coping strategies.

By investing in yoga and mindfulness, this initiative aims to create a calmer, healthier, and more supportive school environment where students can thrive academically and emotionally.

PVSD Foundation is proud to support this project, as it builds up the whole child and prepares them for continued success in the classroom.

Yoga mats set up in a classroom
Mrs. Kathy Long and second graders post for recess yoga club
Mrs. Long and class perform a tree pose

Support Projects like Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Teachers don’t always have access to materials, technology, and other resources that can make the difference between a lesson that is forgotten the next day and one that lasts beyond graduation. That’s where you come in. Your contribution to the PVSD Foundation helps ensure that the Foundation can continue to support teachers in delivering enriching educational opportunities for all students when tax dollars and traditional revenue streams fall short.