Frances instructs
T.C. Cherry students
(photo credit: Susan James)

On Tues., Nov. 21, 2017, Frances Strickler and Susan James provided a Sharpen the Saw activity as part of the Leader in Me program at the T.C. Cherry Elementary School.

Sharpen the Saw addresses self-care, self-respect, and self-improvement, incorporating the balance among physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional categories.  Therefore, Frances and Susan determined that yoga was an appropriate way to contribute to the students’ experience.

Their timely program covered two perspectives on Thanksgiving:  a view of how it might have been experienced by the early settlers in this country, and a consideration of how students expected to experience their own Thanksgivings this year.

Instead of instructing a pre-set sequence, Frances and Susan had students help construct the class sequence as a narrative.  The students’ story incorporated sun salutations, moon poses, warrior poses, triangle, tree, squats, chair, and variations. Their Thanksgiving journey lasted 45 minutes and ended with a well-deserved savasana in their chairs, something for which all the students were thankful.

And we at 4yoga are thankful that Frances and Susan are not only part of our yoga community but are willing to take their talents out into the larger community and share them with the students at T.C. Cherry!