Yoga in schools

​Yoga is hugely beneficial to children.  I have taught yoga in schools in Brazil and during my 8 years as a primary teacher at Waverley Abbey School in Surrey.  As well as a weekly yoga club, where children who were interested in yoga could come and explore different poses and different elements of mindfulness, I incorporated yoga into every day with my class and took extra sessions for particular children with specific learning needs. Classes need to to be dynamic, enjoyable and regular in order for tangible benefits to be observed in these key areas:
1) Physical fitness
2) Calmness
3) Focus
4) Behaviour
5) Self esteem

On sunny days my class and I would go out on to the field and we had a yoga pose of the week that we would work on until we were ready to do a sun salutation or variations of it, where they flowed dynamically between poses.  Mirror games and other strategies would allow them to see whether what they saw, thought and felt they were doing were the same.  Visual cues displayed also helped learners access the poses and feel secure about what was coming next.  In a curriculum allowing for only 2 PE/Games lessons a week, this daily activity just on a physical level, activating all muscles and developing greater flexibility in the joints was excellent.  They spend so much time sitting on a chair in school, that this opportunity to stretch and move was really welcomed by the children.  Many children used to complain of stiffness after only 20 minutes of sitting cross legged for assembly, until they did a few hip opening yoga poses and commented that assembly was 'much easier now'.

After some stretching, dynamic or stabilising poses, some games which enabled them to use the poses in an engaging way, the children would sit or lie on the grass, feeling the earth supporting them and following the path of their breath in and out.  Like adults, they could find it hard to be still, to calm down, not to giggle  etc, but by becoming aware of the sensation of their breath, they learnt how to settle and calm down quickly and enjoyed the opportunity to relax.  They would go back to class refreshed and ready to work.

In class we also had 'mindful moments' which could involve breathing exercises, stretching, brain gym or silent sitting.  All these practices helped them relax if stressed, energise if tired, focus if distracted and rebalance.  The atmosphere in class would tangibly change.  They developed ways to be in control by taking their awareness into their bodies, to particular sensations or sounds or images that they were guided to.  This grounded them and helped them develop confidence as they realised they had a safe place inside themselves and that through focus they could keep in control.

We would often return to these 'mindful moments' briefly before seemingly unrelated activities, such as discussions, role playing or improvisation sessions, where a degree of empathy was necessary.  The children were more centred and more considerate of each other's contributions.

Please contact me for more information on classes for children or INSETs.