Yoga in the classroom:
Background: I am actively involved in fitness whether it is running, step, boot camp, pilates, yoga, kickboxing, Tabata, swimming, BOSU, cycle, and more. Kickboxing is my favorite, but I’ll attend any class to keep up my cardio and strength training. At one point I was training for a 10K, but two weeks before the race I had to stop because of a preexisting knee problem. It can be difficult to balance exercise, class, and my internship hours, but exercise has always helped me to balance my time, increase my productivity, and give me confidence. I accomplishe more in my entire day because of the forty-five minutes I take to get my mind ready for the day.
In my future classroom, I hope to incorporate stretch breaks, yoga, and more as the students start to get unruly or wiggly. It’s hard for me to sit through a three-hour class without a stretch break. While their classes should never be that continuously long, they may still need stretch breaks. Today, I figured I would research yoga for the classroom and see how I could enact it. It can even be used in a curriculum with Common Core Standards, which would allow for active learning.
Benefits of incorporating yoga in the classroom:
-Physical and mental well-being of the children
-Reduces problem behavior, test anxiety, and anger
-Increases self-regulation and focus
-Sensory Awareness
-Build Social Skills
Typically in school you do a three sequence yoga routine pose with a concentration pose, an energizer pose, and a relax pose. When reading an article by Leigh Stewart, I learned that I should start each day reminding the children of our intention and what we are here for. When they start to have problems throughout the day, a simple stretch will help bring them back. I know the child’s pose helps me to relax or a simple twist would help before lunch. All of the research points to yoga being a positive force to add to the classroom, so I really do plan on trying to implement it. Some school districts have issues with yoga being taught in the classroom for religious reasons, so I will have to check with the district before I teach. I do hope I will be able to incorporate any exercise into my classroom though.
Resources
http://www.mindfulpracticesyoga.com/archive/how-to-sequence-your-classroom-yoga-pose-routine.php
–Sequences of yoga to use with children
http://yogainmyschool.com/yoga-classroom/language-arts/
Best 2013 Kids Yoga Poses
http://www.kidsyogastories.com/kids-yoga-poses-best-2013/
-Ways to link it to your classroom content
http://www.gaiamtv.com/article/kids-yoga-classroom#sthash.SsK0VIhh.dpbs
-Ways to incorporate yoga throughout the most difficult parts of the day, such as after lunchtime tiredness, creating a mantra for the day, and coming full circle
-NPR on yoga helping improve children with autism spectrum disorder when done instead of normal morning ritual
http://www.kidsyogastories.com/how-to-do-yoga-in-your-classroom/
–Ways to incorporate yoga in the classroom
http://www.kidsyogastories.com/free-resources/
–Yoga lesson plans, including beach yoga, autumn yoga, and poses
Best 2013 Kids Yoga Poses
Mary Willoughby Romm 