LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Dozens of high school students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School rolled out the yoga mats for a class out on the turf.
"Honestly, it makes me feel empowered because it's women-led, and that is really important in today's society," said senior Sarah Dudick.
Darlene Reilley, a psychology teacher at Wilkes-Barre Area, says she's spent ten years creating a program to bring a focus to student wellness.
"In the last three years, we've been able to offer weekly student yoga classes and faculty classes. This year, we offered an in-school positive psychology class," Reilley said.
In the sunshine, students went through sequence after sequence while focusing on breath work.
Reilly says the lessons on the mat go far beyond class.
"It's more than just yoga. It's about equipping our students with a toolbox of resources that can help them with stressors that come at them in their life," Reilly said.
"Deep breathing has been really helpful in my life," Dudick said. "At the end of our normal classes, we have a guided meditation, and that helps. Sometimes, I use it in my daily life, especially if I am going to sleep or if I have a stressful test going on."
Students say the class is something they look forward to.
"It's really important, especially to have healthy coping mechanisms. Mental health is really important, and I think yoga is a very good active way to really calm down, unwind after a stressful day, and it's just really fun, honestly," said senior Cecelia Pugh.
Class leaders hope students take what they learn from their yoga class and share it with their family and friends.