Gaining a less stressful life view

Sixteen students, one school district superintendent and a physical education teacher performing yoga exercises is not something you usually see in the early hours of a school day.

However, in the Lawrence High School wrestling room on March 15 at 8 a.m., Superintendent Gary Schall, who has practiced yoga for nearly 30 years, was instructing students from physical education instructor Patrick Leary’s class in the philosophy of balancing the body and mind to be physically and mentally sharper through a series of exercises.

Schall, 57, who lives in Woodmere, finished seventh out of 28 overall competitors at the 2012 Yoga ASANA championships at the Hudson Theater in Manhattan March 2-4. USA Yoga Board member Joe Gans said holding this year’s competition in New York is a way to energize the local yoga community. “New York has a very strong yoga community with a considerable amount of media involvement, making it a great venue to introduce competition to a larger audience.”

It was the second time Schall competed in the national championship and the first time it was held in New York. “It keeps my body sharp and my mind sharp, focused and relaxed,” said Schall, who added that yoga helps him maintain his comfort level despite the tension, which comes with his current job.

But, it is his position of superintendent that gives him entrée to keep connected with students. He seeks to not only introduce them to yoga, but Schall also mixes in stories that demonstrate how people can overcome the adversity that life throws at them.

From the lotus position to drishti (the focal point for yoga posture), he had the students balancing and breathing. “It is a great way to start your day, here relaxing,” said ninth-grader Darina Georgiava, who participated in the morning yoga session for the second time.

In teacher mode, Schall, a former district educator, before he became an administrator, told the students about a 14-year-old girl with a muscle disorder, who attends the same yoga studio as him. “When she can she moves her walker to the side and does the exercises,” Schall said.