Mid-January, a number of teachers within the Labrador Region of the District participated in a ‘Yoga for Youth’ workshop in Happy Valley Goose Bay. The program, facilitated by Soul Warrior Yoga, aims to instill mindfulness, awareness, self-regulation and confidence in students through the teaching of yoga in a way that is fun and inspiring. Facilitators Laura Beth Power and Susan Dawe led the Labrador workshop and both women routinely travel around the province providing in-services for various organizations interested in exploring a more mindful approach to stress-reduction.

School Health Promotion Liaison Consultant Andrew Battcock, who works with the District through a partnership with Labrador Grenfell Health, recognized the potential student and school benefit of the Yoga for Youth program and had been working on bringing the initiative to Labrador for a number of months. The two-day workshop not only taught the participants how to instruct students in yoga techniques, but also stressed the practice's benefits such as improved physical health, self-discipline, emotional awareness, increased positivity, increased focus and confidence, while also helping to foster empathy, compassion, and respect. Yoga in the school system has also seen positive results as a classroom management tool and engagement resource.

Following the workshop, the facilitators joined teachers to visit local schools and conducted yoga sessions in both the classroom and gymnasium, with teachers and students very impressed and even more comfortable with the concept. Teachers not only felt rejuvenated but also well-prepared to bring the practice of yoga to schools throughout the region!