Many teachers want to bring yoga into their school. However, they are not sure what steps to take in order to make this desire a reality. Over the course of the next few months I will outline a step by step process which, when followed, will enable teachers to bring the benefits of yoga into their classrooms and schools. For Step 3 we are going to get creative in the possible ways yoga can be incorporated into the school setting. Step 1 – Know the Benefits can be found here. Step 2 – Find Examples can be found here.

Step 3 – Get Creative in How You Will Incorporate Yoga into Your School

Often when people think of practicing yoga with students they think of gym class. This is a wonderful place to begin. However, there are a number of ways to bring yoga into your school with gym class being only one possibility. Here are a few creative suggestions.

Sports Teams

Using yoga as a cross training tool is becoming mainstream. It helps develop core strength, improve pulmonary efficiency, prevent sports injuries, develop balance and focus, increase endurance and flexibility, and relieve stress. For more information visit How Yoga is Used as a Cross Training Tool For Teen Athletes. Encourage coaches throughout your school to access these benefits by incorporating yoga into their training routines. Starting with Sun Salutations and then moving into sport specific stretches is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this.

DPA

The Daily Physical Activity Requirement, standard in schools in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, is a perfect place to incorporate yoga into your school. This educational standard aims at increasing student health and fitness levels with 30 minutes of physical activity per day. Yoga is an easy, economical, non competitive way of meeting this requirement and best of all the kids LOVE it. One of the easiest ways to do this is to download THE PET STORE (see right side bar).

Yoga Club

Start a yoga club which can meet during recess or lunch break. This will require some expertise in yoga on your part or involving a yoga instructor willing to help get the club up and running. Having a standard meeting place and investing in school owned yoga mats simplifies physical requirements. Clubs can be hugely successful and provide an opportunity to work with kids who are keen to learn more than the basics.

Yoga Breaks

Yoga breaks are 5-10 minute stretching and relaxation intervals spaced throughout the school day. They are extremely effective at reducing stress, promoting concentration, and providing balance. I often encourage kids to perform simple twists in their seats if they are feeling sluggish or tired as it will increase their energy level and clear their minds creating a more receptive learning situation.

CALM

Career and Life Management class is a wonderful opportunity to teach healthy living and stress management skills. A Yoga Unit could be taught which employs a more yin style workout and focuses on breathing exercises, affirmations, and guided meditation. You may also want to include Yoga Journal Writing as a means of introspection and personal development.

Character Education

The philosophy behind a yogic life as explained in the yamas and niyamas correspond beautifully to character education initiatives. Bringing yoga into the classroom supports and reinforces these initiatives and teaches basic societal values and virtues. For a number of ways in which yoga teaches specific elements of character education visit the Character Education page.

Special Needs

Yoga is extremely useful as a therapy for special needs individuals. It has been proven successful with ADHD, autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and in many other situations. In addition, yoga benefits children with asthma teaching them their triggers and how to breathing efficiently and effectively.

Gym Class

There are a few options when introducing yoga in gym, PE, or Fit for Life classes. Read Help! My High School PE Class Wants to Do Yoga. One of the most successful ways is to use a 3-5 class Yoga Unit which includes breathing exercises, a variety of poses (standing, balance, forward bend, back bend, twists, inversions, arm balancing), and relaxation techniques.

Yoga Class for Credit

The greatest commitment when bringing yoga to your school is to develop and get accreditation for yoga  in the program of studies. This would involve working with the school administration, school district and local governmental agencies responsible for education. I’m thrilled about this possibility as the students would truly benefit from a more in depth study of a yoga practice and lifestyle but realise it is a huge endeavor.

Are we motivated only by competition?

The Telegraph recently reported on a government study in the UK which found that fewer students are participating in competitive sports. There is a general decline in competing school against school and an increase in non-competitive “fun” endeavors like cheer-leading (they obviously aren’t on a competitive cheer team), yoga, and circus skills (not too sure what that is but it sounds fun).

Interestingly the article is against this shift. Quoting Nick Seaton, Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education:

“Non-competitive sport can never be a substitute for competitive sport which stretches young people to the utmost and help them get used to winning and losing.”

In addition, the article appears to blame non-competitive sports for the increase in childhood obesity.

Hold on! I don’t think so.

Simply by increasing opportunities for non-competitive activities that doesn’t mean the activities are any less  physically demanding. The idea that kids are motivated to excel physically simply due to their competitive natures is so wrong. Yes, healthy competition may bring out the best in some. It is always great to win. However, there are numerous individuals who simply opt out, knowing that they will never be fast enough, strong enough, good enough to win the gold medal.

Providing non-competitive options in school settings allows all students (jocks and nots) with an opportunity to develop their physical abilities. Yoga in particular will explore other aspects of the individual, and definitely challenge those who believe they are strong and fit, while involving non-physically inclined participants. I applaud the schools in the UK who are offering students a variety of competitive and non-competitive options in their PE curriculum. By providing a variety of options more kids may discover ways to stay fit and healthy throughout their lives.

What do you think? Are we motivated by competition? What are your motives for getting fit? Why do your kids exercise?

A shout out to Yoga Buzz for highlighting this article.

I love how more and more athletes are using yoga as a cross training and meditative tool to be the best they possibly can at their chosen sport. From highschool football players to NBA stars, yoga is fast becoming a must. 

Emily Cook

Check out these two interviews with Olympic athletes Emily Cook (freestyle skier) and Katherine Ruetter (speed skating) in regards to their yoga practice.

Interview with Emily Cook

Katherine Ruetter

Interview with Katherine Ruetter

Thanks to Ann Pizer, of About.com for posting these.

Yoga relies heavily on observance to the environment. The sun, as the provider of light & heat, is a principle component of these observations.

Traditionally Sun Salutations (Suryanamaskara) are performed upon arising while facing the Sun. This makes the front side of the body the east side, and the back side the west side. Many yoga poses when translated from the Sanskrit refer to the body in this manner. Thus Pachimottanasana is literally pachima = west, uttana = intense stretch or intense west side stretch: commonly known as Seated Forward Bend.

seated forward bend

Sun Salutation is actually a sequence of poses which flow together with the breath. Each inhalation and exhalation leading to a new pose. This sequence stretches the major muscles and develops concentration. There are a number of versions to Sun Salutation, the traditional version has 12 poses joined together. I enjoy this clear, precise video instructional which your students can follow along with.

It only takes a few moments to do one Sun Salutation. Once you feel the heat beginning to flow, continue with this coordination of movement and breath for 10 minutes or longer. This tunes your body to the stimulating power of the sun and creates a positive frame of mind.

If you are looking for a challenge there are groups that celebrate the fall/spring equinox and World Peace Day (Sept 21) with 108 repetitons of Sun Salutation as a form of moving meditation. Check out this article from Prana Flow NZ for more on how this feels. I think this is the yogic equivalent of running a marathon, but am intrigued by the idea and will begin to add one more Sun Salutation to my morning practice each day in order train my body for such an endeavor. You may want to consider learning Sun Salutations with your kids and then perform a few rounds (kids definitely should not be doing 108 of these) in honor of this celebration.

I hope that as your kids study the sun, you will explore Sun Salutations as a kinaesthetic learning methodology. For a more indepth look at Sun Salutations read Here Comes the Sun by Richard Rosen at Yoga Journal. Greet the sun; enjoy good health and a positive outlook.

If you enjoyed this article subscribe via RSS Feed or e-mail as curriculum applications of yoga poses and concepts will be provided weekly. I’d love to receive your feedback as to how your kids responded to this activity.

 Other yoga poses for athletes to include would be:
Warrior pose

warrior pose

Dancer pose

dancer pose

Low lunge
Pigeon pose

pigeon pose

Boat pose

boat pose final position

Finishing by lying on the ground hugging your knees to your chest then bring them to one side while looking in the opposite directions (reclined twist) and finally corpse pose (savasana). Staying for 5-10 minutes following a guided relaxation to focus the mind and relax the body.

corpse pose

I hope this helps and give ‘em hell this season!

I’ll be updating this post over the next few weeks with complete yoga pose descriptions so follow along on Facebook or subscribe to my RSS Feed.

All athletes can benefit from yoga

Question: “Coach! Are we really doing yoga?”

Answer: “Yes, and you’ll be a better athlete because of it!”

If you haven’t heard, yoga is a fantastic cross training tool for all athletes.  It keeps you strong, improves flexibility, reduces recovery time from injuries, and is a fantastic full body workout.

The guys at YogaDork recently posted this article about teenage athletes doing yoga with a football team as part of their pre-season conditioning.

So all you coaches out there give it a try. And if you are thinking that you simply need more time to learn one more drill, or practise one more play, know that the time you spend on the mat will pay off huge dividends in body awareness, attitude, team building, strength, and flexibility.

If you need more information on how to get your team practising yoga drop me a comment and I’ll be happy to give you some suggestions. Namaste.