Productivity- the one thing that most of us struggle with. 

Be it attending school virtually or attending school in person, it is a concern that has to be addressed. With COVID-19, students are sitting for longer hours with our eyes peeled at our electronics and our backs hunched over while completing an assignment. 

During the school day, breaks should be integrated into both an online and in-person learning setting to promote productivity.

If we don’t take breaks, be it a stretch break or a meditation break, we are not going to reach our productive capabilities- one of Rock Hill’s core values. 

Studies show that breaks actually help reduce stress and lethargicness while increasing focus. Yoga and other forms of daily exercise can actually help boost brain development. 

According to NCBI-PMC (National Center of Biotechnology Information-U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) research, yoga has proven to be one of the most essential tools to psychotherapy. 

“Not only are we sitting for 8 hours and doing work,” English II teacher and certified yoga instructor Jennifer Cheng said. “Now we’re staring at a computer screen for maybe 5 hours of the 8 hours.” 

For thousands of years, yoga has been something that people have effectively used to promote mindfulness and inner peace. 

An article from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health conducted a research of 17 studies (involving 1,070 total participants) on yoga for stress management. 12 studies showed improvements in physical or psychological measures related to stress.

The next time you’re struggling with productivity, focus, or are stressed, stretching and practicing yoga might just do the trick. 

“Physical activity like breaks, even if it’s something short, does help every person be more productive,” Cheng said. “It gives them a break so that they can go back to what they’re doing and do it better. I definitely think it’s a positive thing.”

Here are some stretches and yoga poses according to Healthy Learn that can you can do whether you’re a virtual learner, in-person or a staff member: