Yoga in Schools
I am qualified to teach yoga to children and young people aged from 2 - 21 years. My classes for children stimulate all areas of development and for teens there is more of a focus on mental health. All the areas of yoga are included within the classes: the philosophy, the poses (asana), breath work (pranayama), mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation.
The yoga provided supports all areas of the curriculum and can be tailored to support specific themes, topics and stories. The sessions combine yoga techniques with these topics as well exploring the well-being of body and mind.
The structure of the yoga sessions will become familiar which helps to develop self-confidence and risk taking but will differ in content which encourages creativity and growth. By practicing yoga with children and young people, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and build better relationships with their peers through a sense of connectedness.
Primary Schools
My Yoga sessions can be fully covered by your school's Sports Premium Funding. For the Early Years and Foundation Stage (EYFS), my yoga sessions could be covered by the Healthy Child Initiative, Lottery Funding or Wellness Funding.
My yoga sessions fulfil the following Early Learning Goals for EYFS and National Curriculum PE objectives for key stages 1 and 2. What is involved in my yoga sessions also fulfils much of the National Curriculum's statutory guidance for physical health and mental wellbeing:
Physical Development - EYFS
Development Matters
'Develop the overall body strength, co-ordination, balance and agility needed to engage successfully with future physical education sessions and other physical disciplines'.
'Combine different movements with ease and fluency'.
Early Learning Goal - Gross motor skills
'Children at the expected level of development will demonstrate strength, balance and coordination'.
Yoga strengthens physical development even for very young children. At this stage they are learning how to balance, whether lying down or bending, standing and balancing. By practicing yoga poses they are using their muscles, which makes the child aware of their function and how the body works.
PE - Key Stage 1
'Pupils should be taught to master basic movements as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination and begin to apply these to a range of activities'.
Yoga undeniably involves all of these skills. Yoga poses and flows help children explore the capabilities of their bodies and help them build their strength, balance, coordination, flexibility and confidence.
PE - Key Stage 2
'Pupils should be taught to develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance' and should also access 'a broad range of opportunities to extend agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others'.
Sharing poses with children is a great way to develop their fitness and yoga provides time to work alone without any competition which makes it especially valuable. Partner and group poses still provide an opportunity for collaborative learning but without the pressure of “letting the team down” which so many children worry about in team sports.
Secondary Schools
My yoga classes also support the programmes of study for key stages 3 and 4 in PE as well as personal, social and health education (PSHE), in particular mental health and emotional wellbeing:
PE - Key Stage 3 & 4
Much of the National Curriculum's programmes of study for Key Stage 3 & 4 PE is primarily based around competitive sport. Yoga, therefore, provides a non-competitive alternative for young people that builds strength, balance and flexibility in the body, that could enhance performance in other sports and help prevent injury.
PSHE - Key Stage 3 & 4
Teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing is also now a requirement as part of statutory Health Education.
A lot of young people have problems with their mental health because they simply don’t know how to cope. Yoga provides powerful ways of dealing with stress in their personal, family and social lives by teaching them simple techniques to reduce tension and increase calm in all situations.