Yoga
Yoga for children
The popularity of yoga has increased dramatically in recent years as the health benefits have become more apparent. Many people look to yoga to increase their overall health, hoping to benefit mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. We are all aware that we live in a highly stressed society and that children today are under more pressure than ever from parents, schools and peers. Introducing yoga techniques to schools can therefore only be beneficial.
Scepticism can arise when yoga is stereotyped, but introducing yoga to the class room has very little to do with sitting crossed legged and saying “OM”. Indeed, yoga techniques have successfully been part of the French School curriculum for the last thirty years. The president of RYE (Role of Yoga in Education) Micheline Flak, was part of the successful integration of yoga techniques into French classrooms and has created a strong structure of training programmes which can educate teachers on how best to use the techniques within their lessons.
The RYE system has six practical aims. Using the Patanjali Scale, school objectives can be met by integrating the activities within lessons. The six aims of the Patanjali Scale are:
- Yama – which concentrates on living together
- Niyama – which centres on cleaning your `house` which actually means your mind and your body
- Asana- The practise of straightening your spine
- Pranyama – which relates to regulating breathing
- Pratyahara – which focuses on relaxation techniques
- Dharana – honing concentration skills.
If teachers can be taught to use a range of activities in the class room they will have the power to refocus children, stimulate their intellectual development, help them control their emotions and master their own concentration skills.
In practice this means teachers can use a very positive activity to capture the children`s attention. Rather than having to resort to raising their voice in an aggressive manner the teacher can use key RYE techniques to attract the pupils attention and then talk the children through simple relaxation activities promoting a calmness in the classroom.
RYE techniques are also fantastic for allowing creative stimulation. Sue Bacon, an advanced skills teacher tried out yoga techniques in her classroom and found that they even helped in literacy lessons – allowing Key Stage 1 children to better grasp an English lesson which focused on similes (Sue Bacons video diary of this can be seen on the teachers TV website).
Teaching children to be in tune with their bodies is an essential skill required for society today. The government is quick to highlight the growing obesity crisis that the younger generations face and yoga techniques can go a long way to help combat this – increasing children`s self esteem, self awareness, physical activity levels and giving them an outlet for their frustration.
RYE established a base in the UK in 2005 and has been running courses since 2006. The European Union of Research on Yoga in Education also runs conferences every two years on the subject – conferences that attract a wide array of teachers and educators from all over Europe, who are all interested in expanding the growth of yoga techniques used within school curriculums.
Given the growing evidence of the positive impact of yoga techniques within schools (and also the evidence to support yoga classes that are run within after school clubs), any body who is looking to enter the field of education, embark upon Child Care Courses, or indeed is currently employed within the education system, should consider taking further training – to not only enrich their teaching skill base but also to better their teaching techniques.
For further information about Worksops for Schools and Nurseries Yoga: Yoga