Mount Kisco Fifth Graders Find Their Zen with Glow Yoga

Fifth graders at Mount Kisco Elementary School walked into the darkened Wellness Room and were greeted by soothing instrumental music and the smell of lemongrass. Stars were projected on the ceiling and there was a bubbling fish lamp in the corner, adding to the relaxing vibe of the space.

“Our class is going to be a little bit different today,” said physical education teacher Melissa Ponzio as students made their way to yoga mats that were set out on the floor.

The class started out with students lying on their mats and doing a series of breathing exercises. From there, they moved around the room finding different yoga position cards and holding the position shown for 10 seconds at a time. Some were solo poses, while others could be done with a partner.

“Some positions were easy; some were hard,” said Juliett Naranjo. “I liked doing the partner yoga.”

After students spent a few minutes doing yoga card stations, Ponzio called them back to their mats to do glow yoga, explaining that they were going to work through a series of poses while holding glow sticks. The gasps of delight and smiling faces were a clear indication of how excited students were.

“Sun salutation looks really cool. Warrior too,” Ponzio told them. “It looks like Star Wars — like you have a lightsaber.”

As she passed the glow sticks out, Ponzio explained her expectations for their session.

“When we get into our flow, we are going to treat it like an actual class at a yoga studio and we are going to be quiet,” she said. “If you need a break, you can stand, lie, whatever you feel comfortable with.”

After putting on an instrumental version of the Encanto soundtrack, Ponzio led students through a series of poses. They bent and stretched while holding their glow sticks in the air, creating a mesmerizing movement of colors.

Later, students lay down on their mats as Ponzio led them through guided breathing and meditation exercises.

“Focus on listening to my voice and paying attention to the body part I’m describing rather than letting your thoughts go off on their own,” she said softly. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were Ponzio’s voice and the instrumental music that played quietly in the background.

“Move your attention to your upper legs. Whatever you feel or don’t feel is fine. Pay attention to your legs and let them rest. If you feel restless, that’s ok. It happens.”

Before sitting back up and getting ready to go back to class, Ponzio rubbed a drop of lemongrass oil in her hands around each cluster of mats so that students could smell it — an added touch that they were vocal about enjoying.

“My favorite part is smelling the oil,” said Sindy Perez.

Students said they felt “amazing,” “relaxed” and “calm” after their glow yoga session. Ponzio prompted them to think of ways they could use what they learned during the unit at home. Students noted that they could stretch, relax and listen to calming music.

“I would probably do some of the yoga at home,” said Sadie Smith. “I have to stretch for dance too.”

Ponzio was happy to see students making connections to how they can use these skills outside of the Wellness Room.

“I hope you take some relaxation skills from this unit home with you,” Ponzio said. “We have busy brains here. We learn English and Spanish. We learn hard things and play sports and interact with friends. It’s good to take a minute to let our brains and bodies take a break.”

Special thanks go out to the Foundation for Bedford Central Schools for helping to make this experience possible.