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BVA aims at moulding and nurturing a strong community of future-ready citizens and leaders of tomorrow, sensitive to the winds of change and yet committed to living with responsibility, maintaining a delicate balance between traditional values and modern ethos.
The School which had welcomed twenty children in a distant summer has spread its rainbow wings in much the same way as its students have.
Yoga is for every… body! It’s often assumed that one must already be flexible and physically fit to participate in yoga. One of the many great aspects of yoga is that it can be modified to support any age, goal and ability level. Its inclusive nature and ability to be practiced almost anywhere and with very little equipment makes it a great fit for classrooms, play spaces, recess, before and after school programs, and even at home.
But, what exactly is yoga? Yoga is an activity that includes breathing techniques, yoga poses and mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment. In yoga, participants often use breathing and yoga poses to help the mind calm. Yoga has the ability to help kids and adults be more active, flexible and mindful for an increase on overall well-being!
Take Action
Yoga creates a safe, modifiable and inclusive environment for creative, physical movement allowing all participants to be successful. Here are some simple take action steps to get started!
- Share the benefits. Yoga and mindfulness practices have a positive impact on kids and learning. Did you know that yoga can help to increase academic readiness? The physical movement and mindful exercises associated with yoga can help to prepare the brain for learning!
- Yoga has shown to enhance focus, concentration, comprehension and memory.
- The poses help to improve physical fitness by improving posture, balance, coordination, and body awareness.
- Yoga can also help to create an atmosphere of confidence, enthusiasm and non-competitiveness where everyone can succeed.
- Create space and choose a time. Designate a predetermined time for a practice and prepare the classroom environment.
- Yoga can be incorporated at any time during the school day. To make it easier, consider the goals of the practice and then pick a specific time of the day to incorporate the routines on a regular basis.
- Start with a short 3-5 minute session. Keeping the session short helps the students to stay actively engaged and ready to learn. Add more time as the students become comfortable with a more advanced practice.
- Consider turning the lights down, moving items off of desks and tables, playing music, and rearranging any classroom furniture.
- Use helpful tools! Facilitators do not need to create yoga-based lessons and activities on their own. There are many amazing and useful tools, books and resources to help you along your journey.
- Consider introducing students and staff to yoga through age-appropriate books and stories. When participants know what to expect, the transition to new activities can be less confusing while creating an element of excitement.
- Consider using music, yoga deck cards, books and stories, coloring pages, and yoga props.
- Plan your lessons with intention. When creating a yoga-based lesson plan, teachers may want to consider the following:
- The learning objective of the activity. What do you want the students to know and be able to do? For students to be calmed down, energized, or focused? Let the postures you choose reflect the goals and flow of the lesson plan.
- Visualization and mindfulness activities. Through visualization, we invite students to use their imagination. This can help students to release tension and become calmer.
- Dedicating a few minutes of your yoga lesson to breath work. You may have heard the saying ‘Take a deep breath.’ While this is wonderful suggestion based on simple wisdom, it can be harder than you think when you are feeling a little challenged – it’s one of the main reasons why we practice it in yoga!
- Appropriate yoga postures. Consider the age and developmental level of students as well as other constraints and opportunities.
- Peer-peer relationship building opportunities. Brain boosting and creative, community-building games. Yoga doesn’t have to always be an individual practice. Consider partner activities, small and larger group games and team-building exercises.
