Students were selected to attend the four-week course taught by local company Mindful Warriors, where they learnt not only the physical movements of yoga, but also how to de-stress, relax and breathe properly.

Maths teacher Ms Sarah Malson said, ‘We wanted our Year 11 students to learn yoga to help them relax and become more focused during their mock exams. Yoga is also very good for emotional and mental wellbeing as well as a way of keeping fit which is something we wanted to focus on for Children’s Mental Health Week and we also offered the classes to students in other years as well. Many have commented that the course has helped them manage their stress better.

‘Mindful Warriors have been fantastic to work with and have up-skilled two members of our staff so that we will be able to offer yoga in the future to those students who would like to continue with it.’

Instructor Mr Stevan Gill said, ‘The concept behind Mindful Warriors is to try to get young people into the yogic philosophy of movement, breathing and mindfulness because nowadays we see too much anxiety, tension and low self-esteem issues with children.

‘It is non-competitive which encourages students to participate and just enjoy it. Simple physical movements that help to strengthen the immune system leave students more focused with a greater level of concentration and a higher resistance to sickness. Brooke Weston Academy has been a fantastic school to work with. The students have been very responsive and I have seen some massive progress with some of them.’

One student said, ‘I really enjoyed the yoga lessons and it has become an enjoyable experience in my week. After each session I felt refreshed and much more awake.’ Another said, ‘Yoga really helped to relax and calm me down which was perfect during my mock exams.’