Teacher uses yoga to help Parkland heal during MSD Heroes Challenge

On the first day back at classes after the deadly rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, yoga teacher Amy Kenny carefully rolled out a pink mat before class.

So began her daily ritual to honor Meadow Pollock, a senior in the class who was among the 17 who died inside the freshman building on Feb. 14, 2017.

“The kids wanted to feel her presence. They wanted her to be there with us,” Kenny says. “So I put out her mat and made a journal with her name, with a candle, whether we were inside or outside. If anyone had a bad day, they could go sit on her mat and write to her in the journal.”

Kenny, 48, has been teaching yoga full-time at the school for two years. Her classes are a popular elective for about 275 students. Kenny also offers a weekly class in the media center for teachers.

Her goal is “to create a space where people can come together and find just an hour of peace and learn some techniques of moving forward with their grief and anxiety.”

Kenny will lead a yoga class at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday during the inaugural MSD Heroes Challenge, family-friendly races that begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Parkland Equestrian Center at 8350 Ranch Road. Cost is $15-$25. Register at Facebook.com/MSDHeroesChallenge.

The event, which will feature nearly 30 obstacle races for children and adults of all skill levels, was founded by Kenny and Parkland activists Doug Eaton, Manny Mair and Debbi Hixon to honor and remember victims of Feb. 14 massacre. Hixon’s husband, Chris, the school’s athletic director, died in the shooting.

Mair is founder of One to One Fitness in Coral Springs. Eaton, a Parkland financial adviser, runner and yogi, has a daughter at the high school who has been active in the #NeverAgain movement.

“Doug and I have known each other for several years,” Mair says, “and the tragic event last year brought us together in a way we could never have imagined. Creating this event where our community can enjoy a fun and active day together is one way to keep the conversation going on school safety.”

During the event, Kenny will offer 15-minute stretches on the hour starting at 7 a.m. for those who can’t make the hourlong class at 11:15 a.m., which is included with race entry fee or for a $17 donation.

After the shooting while the high school was closed for two weeks, Kenny held regular yoga classes at Pine Trails Park in Parkland. Many people in the community attended, including several parents of victims, she says.

At school, students tell Kenny they use the meditation techniques she’s taught them to get through frequent flashbacks caused by the horror they witnessed.

“Yoga heals because you’re moving your body, staying present-minded, not allowing your mind to wander, past or future,” Kenny explains. “As you breathe, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms you down and relaxes you.” If you’re having anxiety, deep breathing will calm you down within 10 seconds, she says.

The event benefits StandWithParkland.org and Yoga4MSD.org, a nonprofit founded by Kenny that trains teens to become yoga instructors.

“Yoga means union. The union is between the mind, the body and the breath. That’s why it works,” Kenny says.