Yoga is known for decreasing stress, and negative emotions and even the youngest students at Cincinnati Public's Taft and Carson elementaries are feeling that relief, including first grader Makayla Wilkerson.
"I feel like I'm just happy, and calm," Wilkerson said.
Yoga instructors from Cincinnati nonprofit Project Yoga teach the classes to CPS students.
"One more big breath in, smell that hot chocolate," Project Yoga's Liz Comstock to Carson Elementary students.
Project Yoga instructors even touch on Ohio's social-emotional learning standards, like self awareness.
"How are we feeling today," McGee Mather asked students. "Let's check in with our head how are we doing today."
Calhoun says when some of their students walk through the doors, they are in survival mode.
"A lot of our students are coming from homes and communities that are not providing that psychological, physical and emotional safety."
She says it keeps them from learning.
"If they're immediately met with alright, sit down, you need to focus stay in your seat, we've got to work on math, you've got to work on reading they are not in that prefrontal cortex right, they're not in their thinking brain, they're in that survival part of the brain," Calhoun explained.
So during yoga, they start with grounding exercises to make sure the children feel safe.
"So once we've built this sense of safety, it's just easy, they're just, they're just ready to learn," McGee Mather said.
This gives students the tools they need to be successful the rest of the school day.
"What's your favorite part of yoga," Local 12's Chelsea Sick asked first grader Makayla.
"When I breathe in and breathe out," Makayla said.
"The teachers say that they're able to use these breathing techniques before tests, you know before exams to help get them calm and to redirect the class," McGee Mather said.
You can tell the students are excited and grateful for the opportunity.
"It's really good for come here and help us do yoga and stuff, it's so sweet," Makayla said.
While yoga is only being taught in certain grades at Taft and Carson elementaries right now, the district says it plans to teach health and PE teachers about how yoga has helped students so they can incorporate yoga into their classes too.
If you think your child would enjoy yoga, but it is not offered in your child's school district, Project Yoga recommends finding a yoga video on YouTube and starting with that.