It’s lunchtime on a cloudy Friday at Dublin High. Students across campus are either eating, attending club meetings, or socializing—but DHS NAMI, led by Ms. Kavita Patel, is spending their lunch practicing yoga and meditation.

DHS NAMI is a chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one of the nation’s largest grassroots mental health movements, led by Dublin High student Amaan Mohammed. Founded in 1979, NAMI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who suffer from mental illnesses, spreading mental health awareness, and improving general mental wellbeing.

“We have formed this chapter to allow students at DHS to talk openly about mental health, learn ways to help friends or family members, and educate others on campus about the importance of mental health wellness,” DHS NAMI told the Dublin Shield.

DHS NAMI grew out of the StressLess social media campaign from last school year, sharing both its leadership and core aims with the original movement. The campaign, which also held a few yoga and meditation sessions across DHS classrooms, proved to be highly successful and inspirational to its organizers. In a statement by DHS NAMI regarding the StressLess campaign, they said, “We loved what we did, and it was truly fulfilling to see us helping others de-stress and [spreading] our message for mental health awareness.”

Thanks to this success, in the next school year DHS NAMI was formed. Their first major event, the yoga and meditation session during lunch on Friday, October 20, was the first of many for the club. For the event, they partnered with the DHS Wellness Center to bring on Ms. Kavita Patel, a professional yoga instructor. Many students attended the event and participated in the guided yoga instruction.

“The yoga event allowed me to clear my mind, especially having a midterm next period,” said Siddarth Parvath, DHS student and NAMI Vice President. Another anonymous NAMI member noted, “The Yoga was very relaxing. . . . I also enjoyed the calming music.” 

The Yoga and Meditation event was just the start for DHS NAMI. When asked, the club stated their major plans for the rest of this school year.

“By the end of the school year, we hope to provide guidance, feedback, and advice to support those who may face mental health conditions. . . . Additionally, we aim to host several events geared towards reducing the stress of students, such as Yoga Events partnered with the Wellness Center and Fun Runs, supported by the Dublin City Council,” a spokesperson for DHS NAMI stated.

If you’re interested in joining DHS NAMI, the bulk of their platform exists on Instagram, @dhs_nami, where they send out information regarding their wellness events and club meetings.