By Jessie Rosenfeld
Staff Writer
Many Mira Costa students might spend their summer relaxing at the beach or by the pool, but this summer, Advanced Placement English teacher Diana Sieker will be offering an alternative way to alleviate stress through her yoga and creative writing camp.
Sieker will combine her passions for creative writing and yoga in her class called “Go With The Flow.” The camp is designed to bring yoga and creative writing together to enhance writing abilities for middle and high school students. The Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation’s Camp VIP, a summer enrichment program, will be sponsoring “Go With the Flow.”
“The class is something purely for the students’ own benefit,” Sieker said. “It is all about self-discovery and self-expression.”
Sieker has been practicing iyengar yoga for five years and hopes to become a certified instructor. This form of yoga stresses the importance of posture as well as breath control and is claimed to aid chronic pains and illnesses.
“The very first day Yoga Works opened, I took an iyengar class and I fell in love instantly,” Sieker said. “I have been practicing non-stop for five years ever since.”
While Sieker hopes to teach teenagers how to unwind from their stress and anxiety through yoga, the creative writing aspect of the camp will be focused on introspective journals and free-flowing streams of unconscious thought. No material will be graded in order to ensure students will engage in a calming and enjoyable experience.
“When we are in a more relaxed state, we are more likely to be more imaginative, and we will use that as an opportunity to do some creative writing pieces,” Sieker said.
Sieker also incorporates yoga and creative writing in her classroom. Occasionally, she has her AP English students write journal entries following meditation sessions. Sieker took her passion to the next level at Costa by teaching a yoga class on “May Day.”
“I definitely felt a different level of focus when I was writing post-meditation, and getting to calm my brain sparked a lot of creative energy within me,” senior Danny Kelleher said.
Traditionally, Camp VIP has been exclusive to kindergarten through eighth grade students; however, “Go With The Flow” will be open to all Manhattan Beach Unified School District students in grades seven through 12. Although the location is not yet determined, the camp will be held from July 8-12.
“I want the students to have a fun and enriching experience during this summer program,” Camp VIP’s Program Director Nancy Rosenburg said.
This summer camp will provide its participants with a unique window into writing with the fusion of yoga.
“I would like to offer students a safe space to explore their own imagination, to tap into their creative potentials and to create a safe space where they can freely share their ideas and experiences,” Sieker said.
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