Teaching Yoga and Mindfulness Rough Draft

Today more and more students are feeling the consequences of this fast paced world full of stresses and high expectations. As stated by Lisa Ann Williamson in the Teaching Tolerance Magazine, she writes about a teacher’s experience with her elementary school students; “Her 3rd graders at the Title I school in Atlanta struggled to pay attention, and bickering, fussing and general behavior problems frequently interrupted lessons.” This is a reality that most teachers face every day. The question is what are we going to do about our next up and coming generation of kids? Numerous studies have already been done. The practice of yoga in the classroom to teach the students mindfulness among other things is starting to get noticed in our country. That is why I propose that a yoga class be added to our K-12 curriculum at the start of every school day.

Chelsea A. Jackson is a third grade teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. She decided to put a plan into action to help the students be more mindful. The magazine article written about her states,” She had been turning to yoga to help manage stress, and had found that the practice improved her fitness, attitude and self-confidence. Why couldn’t her students benefit in similar ways? She covered her classroom window with construction paper to reduce distractions. She showed her students how to focus on their breathing. She demonstrated a few simple poses.” Her plan had paid off and she noticed dramatic results. Williamson states, “Jackson says the effects were better than she had hoped in the weeks that followed. Student attention spans increased. They were resolving their own conflicts. Lessons went more smoothly. She describes how, before standardized testing, her students would request a “few minutes for breath.” And it apparently paid off—though she did not teach to the test, she says her students’ scores were among the schools highest.”

Some parents argue that yoga is religious and should not be in a public classroom setting.  In California the issue was taken to court by parents and the judge ruled in favor of the school. In the Reuters newspaper article: “Yoga in school not same as teaching religion, California judge rules” written by Marty Graham, he writes; “A California judge refused on Monday to block the teaching of yoga as part of a public school's physical fitness program, rejecting parents' claims that the classes were an unconstitutional promotion of Eastern religions. He also said the Encinitas Unified School District had developed its own version of yoga that was not religious but distinct and separate from Ashtanga yoga. By the start of the 2012-2013 school year, the Sanskrit and Namaste had been eliminated from the program, and poses had been renamed with "kid-friendly" descriptions, poses now called gorilla, turtle, peacock, big toe, telephone and other terms, according to testimony. The lotus pose, for example, is called criss cross apple sauce in Encinitas schools.” The whole point of introducing yoga into the students’ lives is to provide opportunities for reflection, patience, reduce impulsive behavior, encourage respect for oneself and others and to teach mindfulness; not to teach religion.

In the 1988 movie “Stand and Deliver” a math teacher, Mr. Escalante came to a school where his students were not interested in learning, involved with gangs and were in regular school fights. They did not know how to deal with their feelings and anger, so they put their energy into negative activities. As well as the movie “Chalk,” Mr. Stroup could not gain control of his classroom. His students did not listen to him nor did they respect him. It was clear that both teachers could have used some help with their students. In turn an article “Exploring the Controversy over Yoga in the Schools” in Move Yoga written by Allyson; she states the benefits of yoga the teachers, parents and students see: “Improved Focus to Support Learning. Teachers find that students have an easier time paying attention if they take kids yoga classes. Portland schools are seeking good ways to help ADD-afflicted students improve their attention, and (religious dogma-free) yoga is a great solution. Reduces Obesity. Kids who do yoga are more fit. This is one of the reasons why the federal government awards grants to PE teachers who have completed online teacher training in yoga. Higher Grades. UCLA researchers studied the Accelerated School, a charter school where kids practice yoga almost every day. They found a relationship between yoga and higher grades. (Moreover, the yoginis at this school were more fit than average in the district, as determined by the California Physical Fitness Test.) Emotional Regulation. Most people who have studied yoga in the West would say it’s about stress relief. Deep breathing, meditation, and physical yoga poses help train the mind how to calm down in times of stress. Some kids yoga classes even teach kids about how their brains work, so that they can better regulate their own emotions.” It’s clear that yoga is nothing but a positive influence for students learning to deal with their emotions and learning to become more mindful of themselves and others.

           

According to an article “A Real Education” written in the Shambhala Sun, Barry Boyce states, “Mindfulness and related contemplative techniques have been making strong  inroads in recent years as effective prevention tools, Greenberg says, because their effectiveness in bringing about certain desirable outcomes is being proven in setting after setting, and federal grant-making agencies and foundations are taking notice. Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them. This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and since a “pretty good percentage of teenagers are at risk for depression,” it’s important to have it in the educational tool bag. Another critical element that has made mindfulness appealing to educators is its effectiveness in increasing attention, “the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.” Attention is one of the greatest challenges for children, and perhaps only more so in a world offering so much distraction so frequently.” He also talks about Greenburg, a man who founded a Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education. (PEACE) By him promoting and practicing his program they have been given grants to expand his program and do more research on the benefits of teaching yoga and mindfulness in the classroom. He also states, “Mindfulness has something else going for it. “Mindfulness is not just a series of practical techniques. It helps us have the ethical character we need to live in the world. It carries with it a world view of not harming others.” Some may think that mindfulness needs to be married to Buddhist ethics, such as expressed in the Eightfold Path. Greenberg feels, however, that inherent mindfulness helps us to realize that we live in an interconnected world and puts us in touch with the golden rule.” With more kids turning to violence as a means of taking out their aggressions, this world could use more yoga programs like PEACE.

            Another aspect that yoga teaches students is by learning to deal with their emotions, they are also learning to think for themselves in a calm collected manor.  In the book “Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom” by bell hooks, she states, “When in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful. In such a community of learning there is no failure. Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.”(11)  To help support the above statement, here are a few benefits stated by the website yoga4classrooms supporting research. It is stated that yoga in the class, “Encourages community and connectedness within the classroom. Promotes a more relaxed, comfortable state of being - the perfect state for teaching and learning.  Helps to create an atmosphere of confidence, enthusiasm and non-competitiveness where everyone can succeed.” It is ultimately enhancing their ability for critical thinking inside and outside the classroom.

            It has been shown with evidence of testimonies from people who have witnessed the benefits of yoga in the classroom, that it has dramatically helped the lives of not only the children but the teachers and parents as well. The article “Children, Arts, and Du Bois” written by Keith Gilyard, he states “The effect of all true education is not only gaining some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more than it meant before.”  Instead of turning to medication and repetitive punishments to solve the issues of our young generation, and after seeing a solution that makes everyone healthier and happier; it is not much of a competition. Adding yoga to our K-12 curriculum will bring out even more benefits that can only be determined with more time and more students.

Works Cited

Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Menendez. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan. Warner Bros, 1988. DVD.

Boyce, Barry. “A Real Education.” Shambhala Sun. Shambhala Sun Foundation, May 2012. Web. 12 December 2013.

hooks, bell. “Critical Thinking”:  Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom. New York: Routledge, 2007.

Williamson, Lisa. “Yoga In Public Schools.” Teaching Tolerance. Teaching Tolerance, Fall 2012. Web. 5 December 2013.

Graham, Marty. “Yoga in school not same as teaching religion, California judge rules.” Reuters. Reuters, 1 July, 2013. Web. 5 December 2013.

Allyson. “Exploring the Controversy over Yoga in the Schools.” Move Yoga. Move Yoga, 20 August2012. Web. 5 December 2013.

Chalk. Dir. Mike Akel. Perf. Chris Mass. SomeDaySoon Production, 2006. DVD.

Gilyard, Keith. "Children, Arts, and Du Bois."  National Council of Teachers and English. September 2012. Print.