The yoga session was quite unbelievable. Before that, if I were told that such a fun activity was under the branch of yoga, I would have choked up in laughter. But Jo made the yoga, not just randomly breathing in and out  for an hour of boring and strange poses but rather an exciting game. The yoga session changed my entire view of yoga and even now I would happily participate in such an awesome sport.

Jo Hentschke is a vibrant yoga instructor who passionately shares with others her love of movement, relaxation and mindfulness. At the ELC, the educators invite the children to participate in yoga sessions as a form of relaxation. The aim of our time with Jo was to further educate and inspire our teachers on different approaches to yoga and relaxation sessions, and learn different techniques, experiences and instruction that best suit children aged between two and five years old. Jo thought carefully about the resources she presented to the children and ensured she encouraged the participation of both the teachers and children in a gentle and welcoming manner. The children responded positively to Jo’s approach and were eager to take new approaches to the way they moved their bodies. Jo provided a detailed program for the teachers to refer to and build on their learning. Many of the experiences Jo shared in her sessions have been continued in the ELC and have been further developed by the artistic flair of the teachers and children.

Jo taught Yoga classes to the children at St Bernadette’s school from Reception to Year 5. The children looked forward to their weekly Yoga, which included yoga poses, breathing exercises, meditation techniques, songs games and dance. The children enjoyed the animal yoga moves and had fun stretching with a partner. Jo has a gentle, calming voice and she encourages all children to have a go. We have continued the yoga moves and breathing exercise in our daily class routines.

The yoga lesson that was held at our school was not what I expected it to be when I first heard about the session. I thought it would be very slow and relaxed at the start, mainly focusing on yoga stances. However, this yoga lesson was fun and exciting, having us do yoga poses that related to what we wanted to be when we finished school, whether it be a doctor, football player… or a unicorn! Towards the end of the lesson we managed to calm down and relax, laying on each other and really sharing a deeper connection with my fellow peers while our instructor read to us. This made me feel less stressed about the rest of my day, it helped me control my thoughts into channelling positive ones rather than negative and overall made me leave the room feeling a lot more happier. I really enjoyed the yoga class!

I teach year 2-3 students and we absolutely loved yoga with Jo! Every lesson was an adventure. The students loved the atmosphere that Jo created. The students learnt lots of yoga poses and had lots of chances to show their creativity through movement. I loved the mindfulness ending to every session