Kids Ease Pressures Of School & Home With Yoga

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Inside Grapevine Yoga studio Megan Patterson, 11, and her sister Rebecca, 8, stretch. They take a few deep breaths and begin working.

"How was school today?" asks yoga instructor Eva Rosenkranz. "Hard!" reply the two sisters.

Yoga has long been popular with adults, but now it's making its way into students' lives. "Yoga is gentle. It's non-competitive," explains Rosenkranz "It's probably the oldest discipline that's non-violent."

Yoga is the latest way to ease stress and anxiety. And now some say yoga is helping their kids cope better with the pressures of school and at home.

"I think it's awesome," exclaims Rebecca. "It helps me calm down and think better."

When CBS 11 News caught up with Rebecca and Megan they'd been exploring yoga for several weeks. "Before a test I'm scared, because of my grade," Megan said.

The sisters are now learning to use deep breathing, to cope with stress and anxiety. It's also a weapon that's being used by some in the fight against bullying.

At an event for students in The Colony, who have dealt with bullying, Rosenkranz is shedding some light on the ancient practice of yoga. There, students grab their mats and are ready for a lesson.

"It doesn't just mean non-violent towards others it also means being non-violent towards yourself," Rosenkranz tells a handful of students.

Besides teaching yoga Rosenkranz is also the founder of Yoga Education for Schools. She's been trying to push yoga in to public schools, but so far it hasn't been embraced.

Students, like 8th grader Joe Jackson say they would love to see yoga at school. "It makes me feel good."

Jackson, 13, says he was assaulted in a shower at Haltom Middle School. Haltom City police charged the child who bullied him with assault by contact.

Jackson's family claims that they repeatedly complained to Birdville ISD officials and nothing was done. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is now investigating the case.

Jackson says yoga has helped him cope with his ordeal. "It clears your mind of everything bad and brings positive energy to your body," he said.

Birdville ISD has looked into the case and says they take bullying very seriously and that the appropriate action was taken.

From bullying to helping with anxiety, yoga has become a daily part of some students' lives.

Megan and Rebecca say it's helped them not only at school but at home. "The first day they came out smiling! The second day they got in the car and said how awesome it was, and for them to say awesome that was really exciting for me," explains the girl's mother, Debbie Patterson.

Yoga classes for students are one hour long at Grapevine Yoga and have varying costs depending on the class.