On stage behind the curtain, a group of students stand in warrior position while three instructors walk around and test their strength.
The instructors remind their pupils that the yoga they are practicing is like a toolbox ““ they can put it away, and then bring it out and use it when they feel tired, angry or stressed.
As Miley Cyrus and the Black Eyed Peas music plays in the background, the students “woof” as they go into downward-facing dog, and “hssss” as they become cobras on the ground.
On the other side of the curtain, another group learns how to take their pulse and why it is important to have a strong heart. They review the different kinds of fats, and reiterate the purpose of exercise.
The students are first through fifth graders at the UCLA Community School, and the instructors are UCLA students who spend their Wednesday afternoons teaching yoga and nutrition as part of an after-school program.
Jenna Borok, a second-year anthropology student, created the program during the fall as part of an internship with Hillel at UCLA, in which she had to come up with a way to engage Jewish students on campus, she said.
With the help of second-year communication studies student Emma Citrin, Borok decided to implement a program that was half yoga and half nutrition, and see if it affected students’ behavior in class.
Citrin said she had been wanting to implement an after-school yoga program for children because of a study linking yoga at a young age to a decrease in violent behavior.
“I knew I wanted to do a community service project,” Borok said. “And studies have shown positive results of yoga and nutrition value, especially on children in lower socioeconomic positions.”
In January, Borok and a small group of her friends began traveling to the school in Koreatown every Wednesday.
Borok asked teachers to fill out surveys to determine whether or not the yoga had any effect on the students’ behavior in class, and said she would collect these results at the end of her internship in June.
Denise Casco, a teacher at the school, said she referred students to the program who she felt would benefit from the calming techniques.
“(When) the program started, I was unsure if they’d like yoga … now they all look forward to it” Casco said, adding that students often share their favorite poses during class, enticing other children to join.
Casco, who has four students participating, said since the program began she has noticed a difference in some of her students, although she said she does not know if the changes are related to yoga.
One student has become less aggressive in the classroom, and another has better self confidence because she excels in yoga in ways she does not feel she can excel academically, Casco said.
“I don’t know if my students ever would have been exposed to yoga,” Casco said. “It promotes a healthy lifestyle, which some of these kids might not have.”
Although Borok’s internship with Hillel only lasts for a year, she and the rest of the volunteers said they will start a student group to continue the yoga program.
“I would love to see yoga classes continued throughout the years,” Casco said.
Nyslai Bolanos, a student who has attended almost all of the sessions, said she enjoys yoga.
“I like (doing yoga),” Bolanos said. “They show me … how to be healthy and to be stronger.”