Benefits of Yoga for Children in Schools

Yoga is an ancient discipline originating from India. It is based on unifying the mind with the body and soul for greater mental and physical wellbeing; it consists of series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing and other techniques.  By practicing yoga postures, bones are brought into alignment and muscles are strengthened, stretched and relaxed. In turn, blood is oxygenated, helping to tone the nervous system, improve circulation, promote flexibility and release tension.  Continuous practise counteracts the effects of stress and eventually bringing us to a more centred place. As a result, we become more integrated, focused and relaxed.

Recently yoga has been added to Unesco list of intangible world heritage for its’ incredible positive influence into various aspects on society and proven benefits to every individual practitioner. This is followed by the endorsement of a UN International Yoga Day to acknowledge the growth of yoga’s popularity worldwide.  It is now practised by all cultures.

It is recognised that yoga has been gradually gaining more and more interest in the UK. Discussions in the UK parliament, started in summer 2016, recommend that “yoga be included as part of mindfulness and wellbeing initiatives for NHS staff and for yoga to be integrated within treatment for patients”, as well as they urge the UK Department for Education “to introduce yoga in the school physical education curriculum”.

Yoga, by nature, supports and maximizes the learning process. It teaches the children to concentrate better and it develops creative thinking. By fostering compassion and cooperation, yoga helps children to build better relationships. In the case if the children are athletic, yoga classes will help them to maximize performance by improving focus & flexibility and strengthening the muscles. If a child experiences social anxiety, yoga can help instil a greater sense of self-knowing, self-worth and confidence.



Here is how yoga can benefit children’s life in school. Yoga:

-          Brings students into the present moment, ready for learning.

-          Encourages community and connectedness in the classroom.

-          Helps create a feeling of confidence instead of competitiveness.

-          Eases anxiety before taking exams.

-          Enhances focus, concentration, comprehension, and memory.

-          Supports social and emotional learning.

-          Wakes up sluggish minds and promotes creativity.

-          Enhances organizational and communication skills.

-          Improves posture, assisting with breathing, writing, and sitting for long periods.

-          Enhances team skills and social interaction.



Indeed, yoga and mindfulness education are increasingly being incorporated into the classroom day to help address such concerns as, for example, bulling behaviour, anxiety and stress (both in children and teachers). 

Sources:
1. Yoga for Children. Lisa Flynn, 2013.
2. Om Magazine "Yoga in the NHS" (Sept 2016 issue)
3. parliament.uk/edm/2016-17/215
4. Om Magazine "Cultural Treasure" (Feb 2017 issue)
5. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/yoga-01163
6. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/01/yoga-joins-unesco-intangible-world-heritage-list
7. http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/27


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pawanmuktasana 1. Anti-Rheumatic Group. Part 2 (Knees and Hips)

Image
Here is the 2 nd part of the Pawanmuktasana Series 1, Anti-Rheumatic Group of asanas, concerning knees and hips . The asanas are very simple and yet they bring great benefits with regular practice (you can do them at home!). Since the knee joint bears the whole weight of the body and has no strong muscles for support, it is most vulnerable to injuries, sprains and osteoarthritis. All the knee asanas strengthen the quadriceps muscle and the ligaments around the knee joint. Certain asanas in this series help to relieve tension in the inner thigh muscles and to remove tiredness from long hours of standing, walking of running. All these asanas rejuvenate the joint by activating the healing energies. The  full list of benefits and instructions for fulfilling these asanas were described in the previous article: https://alambhttps://alambayoga.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/pawanmuktasana-1-anti-reumatic-group.html You can find the full complex of asanas in the book of Swami Satyananda
Read more

Benefits of Practicing Yoga for the Spine

Image
  “You may die, but you will never grow old if your spine stays flexible.” Yogi Bhajan (Kundalini Yoga Master) People come to yoga and decide to stay with it for various reasons. As Mark Stephens states, Yoga is an unending process of self-discovery and self-transformation. Often towards becoming a “better yourself”. Even if it is only about a physical state. Recognising that individual path in yoga is so very different, there are some common benefits that yoga can bring to the everybody’s health. In this abstract I would like to cover the benefits of practising yoga for the spine. The spine is involved in every yoga asana, more than any other part of the skeleton. Many people are attracted to yoga initially to improve stability, mobility and overall functioning of spine [1]. Problems with spine are sometimes referred to as one of the “deseases” of the century. With the development of technology, people spend more and more time sitting in front of the computer
Read more

Surya Namaskar: Best way to start your day by far!

Image
Surya Namaskar: Best way to start your day by far  Have you ever felt that even after a very good work out and stretching, when you wake up the following morning, you feel quite stiff? And actually every morning, if you do not do any physical exercise, sometimes it takes a few hours to feel “back in shape”. I found it interesting to read that muscles always tend to shorten when we sleep, accounting for “stiffness” in the morning. Ray Long, the author of a great book “The Key Poses of Yoga”, explains that the brain creates “set lengths” for muscles based on regular activity. For example, if we tend to sit on the chair in the office half a day, the brain signals that this is the length of the hips required for us. Or those who do a lot of cycling and do not tend to stretch afterwards, end up with very stiff hamstrings. Consistent practise of yoga lengthens the muscles, which in turn helps to improve a range of motion throughout the body. And this creates a new “set length” in t
Read more