After Hollifield Station Elementary School teacher January Jordan heard teachers consistently complaining about feeling frazzled and over-worked, she introduced a program to the school that had helped her deal with stress: yoga.

Under Jordan's program, a yoga instructor came to the Ellicott City school every Monday afternoon to lead participants in yoga poses, meditation and breathing techniques.

"I wanted to bring it to people who didn't have that much money but still needed the benefits of yoga," said Jordan, who teaches first grade.

She added that some yoga classes cost as much as $20 per session -- something many teachers can't afford.

The class started out with 30 people and between 10 and 15 faculty members consistently showed up to the classes, Jordan said, adding that participants paid about $8 per class.

The program, which started in the fall of 2007, received a Healthy Schools Innovation Award from the county Health Department last month.

The Howard County Health Department created the Healthy Schools Innovation awards this year to promote initiatives related to mental health, nutrition, safety, and environmental health and physical activity at local schools.

Hollifield's yoga program won in the mental health category. Another Hollifield initiative, in which students' recess is scheduled prior to their lunch in an effort to cut down on stomachaches, won in the category of nutrition.

Rockburn Elementary School, in Elkridge, won in the category of safety and environmental health for its safety and health expo program, during which students and parents learned about cyber-bullying, car and bike safety, and other issues.

Guilford Elementary School, in Columbia, was honored in the physical activity category for several initiatives, including its "Turkey Trot" 1-mile run; its "miler club," which encourages students to run laps around the gym during gym classes and recess; and its Fitness Focus, in which students track their exercises at home one week every month.

Sam O'Neil, coordinator of the Healthy Howard program, said she hopes the recognition program will serve as an opportunity for area schools to share ideas.

"I think that these schools are really making a tremendous effort to advance the health and wellness policies at the school level and the system-wide level," O'Neil said.

Yoga classes to continue

O'Neil said the Hollifield Station yoga program stood out because its "focus was on teachers and the stresses they face, and how stresses affect performance in classroom and affect children in the classroom."

Jordan said she was pleased with the first year of the yoga program at Hollifield, and plans to continue it next year.

She also said she hopes other schools will consider similar programs as a way of reducing stress for teachers -- something she says also would benefit the students.

In a letter of support for Hollifield's yoga program submitted to the Healthy Howard program, paraeducator Barbara Massey said that yoga changed her life both professionally and personally and that she continues to do yoga twice a week.

"Personally, I feel refreshed and renewed after each session," Massey wrote. "I sleep more soundly at night. I have more patience with my students because I feel calmer. I feel more comfortable sitting on the floor with my students and interacting with them on the playground at recess because I am more fit and flexible."

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