ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
Why should we add yoga into our already busy curriculums? Benefits of yoga for children While I was working as a teacher myself, I saw a real opportunity to introduce an exercise form which was lifelong as, unfortunately, many of us don’t keep up with the sports we learn at school later on in life. Yoga is truly a lifelong form of exercise; if you can breathe, you can practise yoga. It also requires minimal equipment and can be done alone or in a group, anywhere with enough space to lay flat. Yoga builds strength, balance and coordination, and helps children to build body awareness. The benefits of yoga are not just physical though; there is an abundance of research into the mental health benefits of yoga, with particular emphasis on how the breathing techniques used in yoga can be incorporated into daily life to great effect. Yoga also creates a real sense of connectedness, which is hugely beneficial in a school environment.
When shared regularly in schools, yoga has some incredible advantages which all children can benefit from. Research has shown that yoga in schools enhances focus, attention, concentration, comprehension and memory, which leads to a positive impact on students’ academic performance (Butzer et al., 2015; Case-Smith et al., 2010). Furthermore, yoga encourages community and connectedness within the classroom and provides opportunities for reflection, patience and insight. It is important to note that these benefits were found when children practised yoga in school consistently, rather than as a one-off activity. Schools put a lot of time and financial investment into their P.E. offerings, and I know that many schools take the physical development and mental health of their students very seriously,
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going far beyond the minimum expectations for these areas. Yoga can help children in Key Stage 1: “develop balance, agility and coordination, and begin to apply these to a range of activities”. Well-designed yoga plans help Key Stage 2 children: “develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance”. This enables clear progression from Key Stage 1: The curriculum also mentions that children should access: “a broad range of opportunities to extend agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others”. When properly planned, yoga allows for this development and includes both individual and partner poses as well as plenty of opportunities for collaboration and communication. Yoga can also help children identify their emotions and learn strategies to cope with any difficult and uncertain times. The breath-body connection, which is central to traditional yoga practices, provides a great opportunity for children to practise using breathing to selfregulate their emotions. Many yogic breathing techniques are invisible, meaning that children and teens can practise them whenever they feel anxious or worried, wherever they are, without anyone else knowing. Finally, yoga is very inclusive, and is often most beneficial for children who might struggle to participate in team sports. Yoga is all about how it makes you feel and not about how it looks (although you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise after scrolling on Instagram), and there are lots of variations to ensure every child can access the class and is being adequately challenged. www.innerchildyogaschool.com
