Screens Saturday, February 7 @ 1:55 PM
Where public school curricula falls short, the alternative teachings of yoga come into the lives of kids on the margins. Urban Yoga Foundation founder, Ghylian Bell, trains yoga teachers to work with at-risk students in after-school and summer programs around New York City. The lessons go beyond hand stands and tree poses, to the root of yoga as a tool for self-regulation and positive socialization.
School of Yoga follows Harlem P.S. 36 students Jael, 9, Waseem, 9, and Sunshine, 8, as they search for calm, confidence and community, while struggling with academics, health issues and bullying. Seeing her own childhood in these kids and striving to lead by example, their teacher Courtnie Bennett, 24, soon finds that her own yogic journey has only just begun.
Credits
Director, Cinematographer & Editor:
Contessa Gayles
Original Music:
Dong Liu
Ramsey “Ramjet Lombardi” Gayles
About the Director
Contessa Gayles is a New York City-based journalist, video producer and first-time documentary filmmaker. She received her B.A. from Columbia University and her M.A. in Journalism at New York University, with a concentration in documentary film. Her work has covered social & economic justice, politics, personal finance, technology, health care, education, spirituality, and the music industry. You can find her bylines at CNN and CNNMoney, PBS NewsHour, AOL Music, The Huffington Post, Women’s Media Center and GlobalPost.