Not your normal way to spend time in a doctor’s waiting room, Amy Levin gives some basic yoga lessons to Bryson, 9, left, and Andrew Freshman, 6, on Thursday. The lessons were taking place in the waiting room area in the pediatric unit at North Bend Medical Center. -World Photos by Lou Sennick

Yoga may not seem like the sort of activity practiced in a pediatrician’s waiting room.

But that was exactly what Bryson and Andrew Freshman were doing last week in the sun-filled annex to Dr. Carla McKelvey’s office in North Bend Medical Center.

The two brothers practiced triangle poses. They moved into the warrior position. Having never practiced the maneuvers, the boys waved their arms each standing on one foot. Their legs shook as they crouched.

Bryson said when he first heard they were going to the doctor’s office, thought they would be doing Yoda. As they practiced relaxed breathing, Andrew covered his mouth and imitated the noisy breathing of Darth Vader.

Instead, the boys were participating in a program inspired by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. McKelvey said program works to give children a chance to learn something to keep them healthy, while they wait for appointments. The yoga class was one of several activities planned. McKelvey also is planning to teach her young patients and their families about healthy eating.

Amy Levin, who coached Andrew and Bryson in yoga, said teaching children about yoga can relieve muscle tension, improve coordination and reduce fatigue. She has even provided an after-school program at Madison Elementary School.

“Basically I try to get them to focus on the breath and coordinate their movements with the breath,” she said. “It helps them get into their bodies.”

As she led the two boys, she kept giving them encouragement in a calming voice. She noted that doing the yoga positions would help them sleep and calm down.

Carol Yardley, the two boys’ grandmother, was especially encouraged to hear yoga would relax them, and reminded them of this several times.

“This is really good to have,” she said.