♪♪♪

Erin Reed: Exhale, hands to
heart'’s center.

Stay here, just for a moment, to
set your intention for class.

Christina: Erin Reed began
teaching yoga at an Elk Grove

high school a few years ago.

When the pandemic hit, she knew
it was more important than ever

to figure out a way to continue
the classes.

Erin: You are stronger than you
think you are, stay in it and

breathe use your breath to
keep you settled and focused.

Christina: Adapting her classes
to Zoom was a new challenge that

she says made her feel like a
first-year teacher

all over again.

But both Erin and her students
have risen to the challenge...

and say they'’re grateful for
the physical - and mental -
outlet.

Erin: There's two goals in this
class.

One is to leave feeling better
than you came in.

And two is to be successful.

So I really try to make it about
like them having a space to

really just feel good about
themselves.

And to work through any problems
that they have.

Christina: The classes are a mix
of power yoga, stretching, sleep

techniques, mindfulness and
meditation.

Erin: Just coming into a slight
smile.

Just again as a signal to your
body that everything is okay.

Christina: It'’s during this
meditation part of the class

that Erin Reed encourages her
students to take time for their

mental health.

Erin: And that's something I
talk about a lot in class, which

is just like, we're all going
through different things.

Everybody's having a different
experience, and maybe a

hardship.

And so also letting them know,
like you're not alone.

Christina: Shivnel says he
learned a motto in yoga class

that hit home...everything is
temporary, even this pandemic.

Shivnel: I've just been feeling
a lot of anxiety with like

Coronavirus and like the
situation we are in right now,

So I think that being able to,
um, attend something like yoga,

where you see people, maybe not
in real life, but on Zoom, it

really helps you have that
social interaction that you

would not have because of the
pandemic.

And also I really like her, um,
the meditation aspects of her

class, it really helps me stay
grounded and just keep myself

free from anxiety as much
as I can.

Christina: Other students say
they'’re relieved to have an

opportunity to step away from
their screens for 55 minutes

every day.

They'’re allowed to keep their
cameras off during the exercise,

but reassure their teacher...
.they are reaping the benefits.

Hailey: The poses that I learned
how to do, I was actually

surprised at how flexible I
really am.

Cause I honestly never knew.

like when we're doing our sun
salutations or like our warrior

poses, I'm like, whoa,
I can do that.

And it just surprises me
what I can do.

Diamond: In class, like being
able to move my body and like

breathe and meditate
like helps a lot.

And like, I'm always thinking
about like all this stress and

like things that I have to do.

Miss Reed teaches us how to like
sit with our thoughts, not like,

um, just focus on running away
from our problems.

Like it's better to face them
and sit with them.

Christina: Yoga and meditation
are just a few of the ways

schools in California are
addressing the mental health

challenges faced by students --
and teachers alike.