Academy are getting good at.

Faced with the everyday pressures of school life and the need to achieve good scholastic results in order to realise their academic dreams both here and abroad, the young men and women are enrolled in a weekly yoga class conducted by Mrs. Mohini Maria Mayers.

The scheme is part of the school's Sports for Life programme which aims to give students recreational options which they can pursue throughout their lives.

Instead of having team sports forced upon them, which they will probably never play again once they leave school, Mount St. Agnes takes a more practical approach to physical fitness for its upper classmen and graduate students.

"We try to get them interested in a sport which, later on, doesn't require a group of people getting together to play a game,'' physical education teacher Mr. Mark Hamilton explained. "When they leave here we want them to be able to continue their sports, so we take an individualistic approach.'' As a result, the students have been offered kayaking, bowling, golf, tennis, horseback riding, cycling -- and yoga.

"They have really, really enjoyed the programme, and Mrs. Mayers has been a big help with it,'' Mr. Hamilton said. "We weren't sure how the programme would take off, but the response has been good and we're very glad we did it.'' As the teacher of one of the options, Mrs. Mayer is delighted that yoga is proving popular with the teens.

"Yoga originated in India thousands of years ago, and is one of the oldest forms of self-development known,'' she explained. "The word `yoga' means to yoke or unite, so basically the practice of yoga unites us with our true self to make us a more whole person.'' Mention yoga to the average person and the goal of ultimately sitting with one's legs wrapped around one's neck springs to mind -- a concept Mrs. Mayers is happy to correct.

"The aim of yoga is personal transformation,'' she said. "It gives people control over their reactions and enormous tools for stress management. The more you use yoga the better you become. You have a feeling of confidence and personal improvement.'' Where teens were concerned, the advanced yoga teacher said that because they faced so many pressures, they didn't know how to relax.

"Yoga gives them a way to manage their stress,'' she said. "Hopefully, the methods I teach them will be integrated into their daily lives and used throughout their lives. Yoga is a lifetime thing.'' Weekly classes at Mount St. Agnes last just over an hour and include relaxation, visualisation and breathing techniques.

"I explain to the students the relationship between breathing, the body and mind, and how it can be used to reduce and control stress,'' Mrs. Mayers said.

Exercises for specific purposes are also taught. Some are designed to release tension and improve concentration, while others are used to loosen muscles.

"I explain to the students how they can work the exercises into their daily routine, and how some can be done while they are studying,'' Mrs. Mayers said.

And then there are the yoga postures, or asanas.

"During the course the students learn the 12 basic asanas, a few each week,'' Mrs. Mayers said. "They are done slowly and meditatively with the mind concentrating on the breathing and centred within the body.

"The postures are held, and they breathe and concentrate. The muscles are stretched. Stretching makes the muscles strong and more elastic so they are less vulnerable when the students do sports. Also, stretching releases muscle tension.'' Noting that asanas benefited all parts of the body, the teacher explained: "The glandular system is stimulated, the nervous system is toned, and the internal organs receive an increased blood supply so that general health is improved with regular practice.'' Each class ends with a visualisation exercise -- a period of quiet, total relaxation.

"They are different people at the end of the class -- calm and centred,'' Mrs. Mayers said. "They tell me that their headaches and back pains are gone and they are full of energy. Yoga increases energy rather than making you tired.'' And what do the students think about yoga? "It has helped me a lot,'' 17-year-old Che Barker said. "It releases a lot of stress in the back and shoulders, and is a good way to release tensions which build up during the day. I practice at home.'' Dina Simons, 18, agreed.

"I really enjoy it,'' she said. "I practice about 15 minutes every day, and plan to continue. It will help me at college, which will probably be more stressful.'' Sarah Ruzicska, 17, who also practices at home, was attracted to yoga because it was "different'' to running and aerobics.

"I like it because it's so peaceful. You don't have all this activity around you like you do most of the day in school,'' she said. "It's everything I thought it would be.'' HOLD IT! -- Advanced yoga teacher Mrs. Mohini Maria Mayers helps students at Mount St. Agnes Academy with their shoulder stands. The class, one of the school's Sports for Life options, is proving a boon in stress management and personal development.