New York City will introduce mindful breathing exercises to all public school students in an effort to support physical and mental health, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.

The program will require all schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 to facilitate two-to-five minutes of mindful breathing practices in schools every day.

“We live in a time of toxic social media communities, constant news flashes, and unfiltered alerts, all leaving a toll on the mental health of our students. But, today, it is time for our students to calm their nervous systems down,” said Adams.

A rollout of a citywide professional development program for educators in mindful breathing practices has already begun, city officials said.

The announcement came as public school students marked the last day of classes for the 2022-23 school year.

On Monday, the mayor announced that the City would officially recognize Diwali as a school holiday.

Diwali is a pan-religious holiday celebrating the symbolic victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance, fostering unity and togetherness.

It is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year.

In 2023, Diwali will be celebrated on Sunday, November 12, so it will be a day off school for the first time in 2024.

The Department of Education said there will be four new days off during 2023-24 school calendar including April 1, the day after Easter, April 29 and 30, the two days of Passover, and June 17 for Eid.