Purvis Primary students were honoured for going the extra mile.

Primary 3 schoolchildren, Amaya Bean and Kiara Trott, were among the few who were given special recognition at this year’s Healthy Schools Awards Ceremony for completing the Yoga In Schools programme.

The classes began in January and were offered by Kallie Marcus, owner of Kinetix Natural Movement, who had children sign up and meet her in the Purvis Primary library on Tuesdays.

The Royal Gazette visited the school yesterday to speak with students about the successful programme.

Seven-year-old Amaya told us she joined because she thought “it could help her relax” when she was in her classes.

Ms Marcus taught the students how to do yoga and different yoga poses, said eight-year-old Kiara, such as “downward dog” and the “tree pose”. The two of them agreed that handstands were their favourite yoga activity.

The class also taught them “the difference between healthy and non-healthy foods,” continued Kiara.

When the Healthy Schools Programme honoured her for her accomplishments, Amaya said that she “felt happy” about what she did. Ms Marcus’s classes taught her “how to be patient”. Her classmate added: “We had to be quiet, pay attention to what we did and focus on remaining calm. If you don’t get it the first time, keep trying.”

Amaya went on to say to those who are unsure about participating in the Yoga In Schools programme: “Try it first, and if you like it, keep going.”