HOLTS SUMMIT, MO. -- It’s that time of the day again.
For three minutes each day, fifth grade students and teachers at North Elementary do squats while they grab their left earlobe with their right hand and grab their right earlobe with their left hand.
The exercise, Superbrain Yoga, involves some controlled breathing too. Teachers and students inhale when they bend down and exhale when they stand back up.
"When they cross the line of their body, the two sides of the brain are then activated at the same time,” teacher Karri Gourley said.
Health experts said physical activity is an important part of each child's day to keep them healthy and to keep them focused in the classroom. The Superbrain Yoga sessions are designed to do just that by building stamina both mentally and physically.
The teachers got the idea of including Superbrain Yoga into their daily routine from a retired teacher. She emailed them a YouTube video of the exercise and a news article explaining the benefits of yoga in the classroom.
"We thought, oh that sounds pretty cool and sounds like something that would be easy to implement in our class and hopefully make a difference,” Gourley said.
Fifth grade students said they look forward to their daily yoga session
“I like it because it really helps your brain function a lot, it makes your brain concentrate,” student Natalie Koelling said. “It’s really helped me."
"Our blood has been pumping and we feel a lot better after we get our work out done because we're fresh and our minds have cleared,” student Janice Steacy said.