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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. If youve ever seen a documentary and walked out of the theaters heavy double doors thinking about how to change the world, then youre in good company. The documentary, Race to Nowhere, was a resounding call to action for at least one Croton parent, who decided offering free yoga classes could quell the unquiet minds of students the movie portrays.
Race to Nowhere, directed by Vicki Abeles, depicts an education system where students are stretched thin, doing hours of homework, community service and extra-curricular in the name of success.
I felt like, I definitely have skills and knowledge I could pass on to kids in the community, said Kristy Cohen, a Croton mom and certified New York State teacher who will begin offering free yoga classes at the Croton Free Library on January 20.
Cohen said she was inspired to do something for teens and children after seeing the documentary. Yogas such a good antidote to stress and pressure kids seem to be under today, said Cohen.
A former Yonkers and New York City school teacher, Cohen said, Even as a first grade teacher I thought, Wow, thats a lot of homework. She also worked briefly at Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary.
The monthly programs begins on January 20, at 3:30 p.m. and will last 45 minutes. The first class will be for teenagers, and will alternate between tweens, teens and young children. Teaching yoga classes for different age levels will have its own unique challenges, ranging texting tweens to focusing five-year-olds.
After raising her own children as a stay-at-home mom for the last few years, she said teaching the yoga class will also be a personal challenge. In our society were so drawn to have it all, she said, Every stay-at-home mom I know has struggled between accepting themselves and being only a mom.
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