In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of incorporating yoga practices into the classroom environment. Yoga, an ancient practice originating from India, combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. This blog aims to explore the numerous benefits of introducing yoga into the classroom. Children at school are encouraged to practice yoga because their bodies and minds become tense from hours of sitting at a desk, doing homework every day, studying for tests, and participating in extracurricular activities. Children also suffer from social and familial difficulties, anxiety, bullying, obesity, depression, diabetes, panic attacks, and other emotional stresses. Yoga is an technique that can be used to manage and regulate a child's life.
Benefits of yoga in classroom
It is important to note that yoga in the classroom can have real benefits for teachers as well. “Recent research suggests that providing educators with training in yoga- and mindfulness-based skills may have also beneficial effects for teachers well-being, and positive mood on school. By taking care of themselves, teachers are better equipped to meet the demands of their profession and create a positive learning environment for their students. It is important to note that the benefits can vary depending on the individual and their commitment to regular yoga practice. If you've thought of using yoga in the classroom before but weren't really sure you could do it, we've got a list of reasons why incorporating yoga into your lesson plans is important and some great tips for getting started. So, let’s talk about the benefits of yoga in schools.
1) Reduces stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are significantly reduced by yoga's innate ability to stop mental chatter and live in the moment, which has profound advantages in every area of life. Children are highly anxious people who are eager to surpass themselves and demonstrate their value at every opportunity. They can reduce their stress and regain some mental calm by practicing yoga. Regular yoga practitioners not only report lower stress and anxiety levels, but also better academic results.
2) Improves memory and attention span
Better academic performance in children would be a direct result of yoga's ability to improve memory function in both adults and children. Additionally, it aids in increasing kids' focus and attention span. Yoga actually helps kids with ADHD by lessening the disorder's primary symptoms, including inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. With regular yoga practice, many ADHD patients are able to take less medication.
3) Helps to manage weight control
Children often consume a lot of junk food and spend a lot of time in sedentary positions, both of which are effects of the new age lifestyle. Yoga aids in balancing this way of life. Children (especially those who do not enjoy playing sports) can maintain a healthy weight by practicing yoga poses on a regular basis.This makes a healthy dent in the problem of childhood obesity at a young age.
4) Improves flexibility, balance and posture
Too much screen time and long hours of sitting while studying can result to incorrect posture.This bad posture in childhood can lead to significant anatomy problems as an adult.Yoga practice improves balance as it brings balance to the entire body, corrects posture, increases flexibility, and improves flexibility.
5) Teaches correct breathing techniques
Life depends on breathing, and the quality of our breathing directly affectshow we feel overall.Our movement, posture, and capacity to manage stress well are all impacted by how well we breathe.Children can learn at a young age how to master the technique of correct breathing and improve their quality of life through pranayama and other breathing exercises in yoga.
6) Promotes mindfulness and relaxation
Mindfulness is simply learning to be in the present. It is possible to practice mindfulness at any time of day, even for just a moment of time, by focusing on your breath or the farthest sounds you can hear. Children can become calmer and less anxious by practicing mindfulness. With the help of imaginative and enjoyable visualization techniques, kids can learn to be more mindful.
7) Encourages self-love and self-care
Yoga promotes healing from the inside rather than looking good on the outside. People are taught to respect and love their own bodies, which is an important lesson for young people because social media is constantly promoting unhealthy body image ideals. Yoga can instill these values in children at a very young age because self-love leads to self-care. Children learn to take good care of and feel at ease in their own skin.
8) Helps to bring peace of mind
The vastness of academic curriculum alone can baffle children and yet, they deal with many other extra-curricular activities and social life as well. By practising pranayama and mindfulness, children really learn how to handle the anxiety and manage the different aspects of life effectively. The peace of mind stimulates the release of good hormones that have a snowball effect and uplifts the disposition of the child in general.
9) Improves self-control
Yoga teaches self-control in people through controlled breathing and controlled movement. As a result, they do not react impulsively or make hasty decisions even in an emotional state. With self-mastery, a person can keep his or her anger in check and make rational decisions when required. A child can truly open any door if they can develop self-control at an early age.
10) Reduces absences and violence in School
Children who are in good health and have a stable temperament are less likely to skip school or pick fights with other kids over trivial matters. Instead, they often behave better in class and form wholesome bonds with their teachers and classmates.
11) Enhances coping skills
Children are burdened with a lot of stress. Yoga teaches children how to correctly cope with the stress, manage it, and stay productive. This is because the children learn how to breathe deeply and be more mindful.
12) Boosts immunity and improves physical appearance
Along with many positive health effects, yoga also strengthens immunity and protects against viral and bacterial infections by raising antibody levels. Yoga increases blood flow, which benefits the skin, hair, and nails. A happy body feels and appears to be healthy.
13) Improves the quality of sleep
Every night, kids should sleep for up to 7-8 hours. The body can be healthy, ready, and energetic for the following day with a good night's sleep. Yoga practitioners report that their sleep is of higher quality because the practice relaxes both the body and the mind. Children who get more sleep are more likely to concentrate in class, play more actively, and do better on tests.
14) Increases self-confidence and self-esteem
Children develop strength, stamina, self-assurance, and the mind-body connection through asanas. After engaging in this for some time, you can evaluate the changes and positivity you have experienced. Strength, compassion, and acceptance are also brought into the real world along with the confidence gained on the yoga mat.
An old Indian art of yoga
Yoga is relevant in present times more than ever before. When it comes to benefits of yoga, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It has multiple gross and fine rewards which can help you live a healthy and joyful life. Give children the abundance of yoga and watch as the benefits slowly unfold! Even though there are numerous health and academic benefits to using yoga in the classroom, it still isn't something that is common for children and teachers to practice during the school day.
Make time to do yoga!
As teachers, we all face the dilemma of not having enough time to teach with depth and it seems like we are always just scratching the surface. Paperwork, testing requirements, classroom management issues, and now core curriculum expectations are all a constant burden. The typical response from teachers is, "How do you expect me to fit yoga into my already hectic schedule?" Making the time to do it is the simple solution. Yoga can be incorporated in just 10 minutes per day. During a transition period, such as right after lunch, before a test, or in the morning, have kids take a yoga break.
What is the conclusion?
Yoga instruction in the classroom has a variety of benefits beyond just physical health. It promotes emotional intelligence, stress reduction, and a supportive learning environment. Teachers can begin to incorporate brief and easy yoga routines during breaks or as a lesson plan. Schools that embrace yoga can give children useful resources for handling stress, improve focus, and promoting general wellbeing.
I hope this video has convinced you to give yoga for kids on school a try. Did you like the video? Then follow up for more and subscribe to our channel and like if you enjoyed it!
