NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Ava woke up "in a very dark place this morning."
But today, the 15-year-old student at the Pace Center for Girls in Pasco County had the perfect place to process those complex emotions:
On the yoga mat.
"Five to 10 minutes into the sessions, my mind was totally refreshed," she said with a smile.
Being a teenager is tough enough. The Pace Center for Girls is a second-chance school for vulnerable teenagers.
Helping them process anger, depression and self-worth is a major part of the curriculum.
Enter Yoga 4 Change, a Florida-based nonprofit that stresses the transformative properties of yoga and its benefits.
Ava and several of her classmates are taking part in a visiting yoga program, weekly sessions of which are run by instructor Janice Gallagher.
"Our mission is to teach a trauma-informed yoga curriculum," said Gallagher. "To let them know that they are not alone in their walk of life. To connect with their body. To connect with their mind on a deeper level. And to connect with their breath."
Yoga 4 Change also works with veterans, the incarcerated and people with mental health challenges.
For Jasmine, a student at Pace, yoga has been nothing less than life-changing.
"I love yoga, it's so calming, so relaxing," she said. "You try your best to get everything off your mind, which is normally really hard."
For more on Yoga 4 Change, click here.
