Brining Yoga into the classroom
Tere Bowen Irish OTR/L
2005
Bringing Yoga into the Classroom, you will be surprised at what it does.
Bringing yoga into the classroom doesn't seem like a stretch to me, but I'm sure it does for many educators that are in traditional classroom settings. Being an occupational therapist, I have always been interested in and connected to the importance and relevance of upper extremity strengthening, trunk stability and endurance for all school age children. Recently, I have found myself immersed in learning how to apply yoga techniques as part of a school intervention for both typical children and children with special needs.
Getting Kids Moving in our country we have reached acute levels of obesity. According to the American Obesity Association, approximately 30.3 percent of children and adolescents are overweight; 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12-19) and 15.3 percent of children (ages 6-11) are considered obese. These statistics are markedly higher than in 1976-1980 with the statistics reading 5 percent and 7 percent respectively.
Leisure interests and use of free time spent by today's children has changed radically in the last 30-40 years. Although the advances in technology are astounding to me, the declines in activity levels are equally astounding. When I talk to the kids in classrooms, they will share what a weekend is for them. Often to my amazement, walking the mall is the most active part of their two days off. Many are plugged into a video/computer game or parked in front of the TV having that technology act upon them. Granted, some do have an organized practice for the "sport of the season" but that generally lasts about one hour on a Saturday.
The U.S. Surgeon General recommends moderate physical activity for children every day for at least 60 minutes. Many schools are encouraging healthy lifestyles with emphasis on personal fitness, yet ironically some schools are reducing recess time to keep up with curriculum demands. The obesity problem in our society can and should be addressed at school. Children spend roughly six-and-a-half hours a day at school.
Actively providing instruction and education to children (as part of their daily classroom routine) about their bodies and their health in an active and participative way may lay the groundwork to a lifelong pursuit and practice. Ultimately, the body feels good when stretched and lengthened; I've had kids relate that they did some yoga poses prior to sports activities, skiing or when they got up in the morning.
Yoga and OT GoalsDespite some positive approaches to wellness and fitness, as an OT I continue to see a pervasive, insidious decline in overall hand function, upper extremity strength and eye-hand coordination encompassing a higher majority of children than in my earlier years of practice 15-20 years ago. With this philosophy and knowledge I often attend workshops to enhance my skill level as well as to keep abreast of innovations in the areas of providing school age children applicable services.
In May of 2004, I attended a three-and-a-half day workshop through Yogakids International. From that experience I have become hooked on Yogakids and am currently enrolled in their certification program. The core philosophy of the program is to bring yoga to children within an educational context. The interventions are based on Dr. Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory. The poses act as "pathways" to enhance learning in the areas of math concepts, linguistics, ecology, science, nature, reading and more. Approach to teaching is playful and creative, thus creating a milieu of experimentation, physical challenge and self-confidence.
Another aspect of the benefits of yoga is sensory based. The poses in and of themselves provide feedback to the muscles and joints that are key to improving children's integration of sensory input. The kinesthetic, proprioceptive, vestibular and tactile input combined with static and dynamic posture set the tone for the child to practice, play and master the movement patterns.
The emphasis with this program is to have funnot to criticize the child, but rather encourage a more dynamic and collaborative group approach. As a facilitator, I am seeing active participation, improvement in body and spatial awareness and often find children challenging themselves to go beyond their boundaries. The process of modeling, assuming and maintaining a pose is emphasized versus the overall product of getting it 100 percent correct.
Many of today's children are overbooked with organized activities, experience high academic demands and other social anxiety issues. Yogakids offers techniques incorporating relaxation, visualization, stress relief and breathing to give children a chance to let go of the stress they feel in their lives. The mere simplicity of this ancient practice can be applied and brought to our 21st century and its children. The ability to calm oneself is a skill that I feel will benefit a person from childhood to old age. Some children report to me that they have used the breathing exercises I had taught them prior to a test when they feel uptight or at bedtime.
Another technique incorporated into the Yogakids program is teaching affirmations to combine with the poses. The child is encouraged to simply verbalize positive statements which can help the child feel powerful, confident and capable to deal with whatever challenges them. Imagine a six year old in a "Brave Warrior" pose stating, "I am strong, I can do my work."
Enhancing LearningAbove and beyond health and wellness, Yogakids' unique format can help promote learning and comprehension in the classroom. The creator, Marsha Wenig, integrates poses with what she calls the "Reading Comes Alive" program. This aspect of Yogakids has children act out books at various levels incorporating the poses. I have found that the active involvement combined with the story format seems to promote comprehension. I read to and acted out the book Bob, by Tracey Campbell Pearson, with a third grade class. We were positioning our bodies as roosters, cows, dogs, chickens, trees, owls and etc. Two of the children in the class with IEPs participated fully and answered comprehension questions with accuracy at the end of the session. I was able to provide treatment in the least restrictive environment of the classroom as well as overlap with other objectives besides my own in the IEP.
Following specific curriculums is part of every teacher's job in grades from kindergarten until high school throughout the United States. Yogakids provides the versatility to harmonize studying, learning facts and other classroom initiatives. I have used the poses and Wenig's "elements"-musical, ecological, visual, quiet quests, we all win, bridge of diamonds, body benefit, reading comes alive, anatomy, laughing language, math medley and brain balance-to help children access their classroom curriculums in a broader sense. Imagine a trip through a rain forest posing as a lizard or at a farm on all fours mooing like cows or even posing as volcanoes erupting and flowing into the earth. Wenig believes that all of these elements "integrate physical learning with intellectual growth, music, the arts and other creative and life enhancing skills."
I feel this program is applicable to elementary, middle and high school curricula across the country. It doesn't matter whether an OT, PT, physical education teacher, special education or regular education teacher delivers this program to the students. Ideally it would be wonderful if it was considered an overall school initiative. The philosophy of the program that is most commendable is the idea that these skills can be generalized to other areas of a child's life.
Making yoga a habit versus just an activity will empower many children to utilize these skills not just at school but also throughout their lives. As an OT it has provided me with new, innovative, rewarding, personal and professional skills. Yogakids may not be the answer for all school age children, but it certainly is worth exploring as a means to combating this societal malady.
References available at www.advanceweb.com/ot.
Tere Bowen-Irish, OTR/L, has practiced pediatric OT and psychiatry for 27 years. Her primary focus for the past 20 years has been school system delivery for OT services. She works part-time for a public school and has her own private practice, Praxis Occupational Therapy and Life Coaching Services. She has also authored a classroom poster system titled Drive Through Exercises for Attention and Strength (Therapro Inc.) to be used in classrooms, homes and clinics for the pediatric population. She can be reached at praxiscoachtere@comcast.net.
Copyright 2005 Merion Publications
2005
Bringing Yoga into the Classroom, you will be surprised at what it does.
Bringing yoga into the classroom doesn't seem like a stretch to me, but I'm sure it does for many educators that are in traditional classroom settings. Being an occupational therapist, I have always been interested in and connected to the importance and relevance of upper extremity strengthening, trunk stability and endurance for all school age children. Recently, I have found myself immersed in learning how to apply yoga techniques as part of a school intervention for both typical children and children with special needs.
Getting Kids Moving in our country we have reached acute levels of obesity. According to the American Obesity Association, approximately 30.3 percent of children and adolescents are overweight; 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12-19) and 15.3 percent of children (ages 6-11) are considered obese. These statistics are markedly higher than in 1976-1980 with the statistics reading 5 percent and 7 percent respectively.
Leisure interests and use of free time spent by today's children has changed radically in the last 30-40 years. Although the advances in technology are astounding to me, the declines in activity levels are equally astounding. When I talk to the kids in classrooms, they will share what a weekend is for them. Often to my amazement, walking the mall is the most active part of their two days off. Many are plugged into a video/computer game or parked in front of the TV having that technology act upon them. Granted, some do have an organized practice for the "sport of the season" but that generally lasts about one hour on a Saturday.
The U.S. Surgeon General recommends moderate physical activity for children every day for at least 60 minutes. Many schools are encouraging healthy lifestyles with emphasis on personal fitness, yet ironically some schools are reducing recess time to keep up with curriculum demands. The obesity problem in our society can and should be addressed at school. Children spend roughly six-and-a-half hours a day at school.
Actively providing instruction and education to children (as part of their daily classroom routine) about their bodies and their health in an active and participative way may lay the groundwork to a lifelong pursuit and practice. Ultimately, the body feels good when stretched and lengthened; I've had kids relate that they did some yoga poses prior to sports activities, skiing or when they got up in the morning.
Yoga and OT GoalsDespite some positive approaches to wellness and fitness, as an OT I continue to see a pervasive, insidious decline in overall hand function, upper extremity strength and eye-hand coordination encompassing a higher majority of children than in my earlier years of practice 15-20 years ago. With this philosophy and knowledge I often attend workshops to enhance my skill level as well as to keep abreast of innovations in the areas of providing school age children applicable services.
In May of 2004, I attended a three-and-a-half day workshop through Yogakids International. From that experience I have become hooked on Yogakids and am currently enrolled in their certification program. The core philosophy of the program is to bring yoga to children within an educational context. The interventions are based on Dr. Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory. The poses act as "pathways" to enhance learning in the areas of math concepts, linguistics, ecology, science, nature, reading and more. Approach to teaching is playful and creative, thus creating a milieu of experimentation, physical challenge and self-confidence.
Another aspect of the benefits of yoga is sensory based. The poses in and of themselves provide feedback to the muscles and joints that are key to improving children's integration of sensory input. The kinesthetic, proprioceptive, vestibular and tactile input combined with static and dynamic posture set the tone for the child to practice, play and master the movement patterns.
The emphasis with this program is to have funnot to criticize the child, but rather encourage a more dynamic and collaborative group approach. As a facilitator, I am seeing active participation, improvement in body and spatial awareness and often find children challenging themselves to go beyond their boundaries. The process of modeling, assuming and maintaining a pose is emphasized versus the overall product of getting it 100 percent correct.
Many of today's children are overbooked with organized activities, experience high academic demands and other social anxiety issues. Yogakids offers techniques incorporating relaxation, visualization, stress relief and breathing to give children a chance to let go of the stress they feel in their lives. The mere simplicity of this ancient practice can be applied and brought to our 21st century and its children. The ability to calm oneself is a skill that I feel will benefit a person from childhood to old age. Some children report to me that they have used the breathing exercises I had taught them prior to a test when they feel uptight or at bedtime.
Another technique incorporated into the Yogakids program is teaching affirmations to combine with the poses. The child is encouraged to simply verbalize positive statements which can help the child feel powerful, confident and capable to deal with whatever challenges them. Imagine a six year old in a "Brave Warrior" pose stating, "I am strong, I can do my work."
Enhancing LearningAbove and beyond health and wellness, Yogakids' unique format can help promote learning and comprehension in the classroom. The creator, Marsha Wenig, integrates poses with what she calls the "Reading Comes Alive" program. This aspect of Yogakids has children act out books at various levels incorporating the poses. I have found that the active involvement combined with the story format seems to promote comprehension. I read to and acted out the book Bob, by Tracey Campbell Pearson, with a third grade class. We were positioning our bodies as roosters, cows, dogs, chickens, trees, owls and etc. Two of the children in the class with IEPs participated fully and answered comprehension questions with accuracy at the end of the session. I was able to provide treatment in the least restrictive environment of the classroom as well as overlap with other objectives besides my own in the IEP.
Following specific curriculums is part of every teacher's job in grades from kindergarten until high school throughout the United States. Yogakids provides the versatility to harmonize studying, learning facts and other classroom initiatives. I have used the poses and Wenig's "elements"-musical, ecological, visual, quiet quests, we all win, bridge of diamonds, body benefit, reading comes alive, anatomy, laughing language, math medley and brain balance-to help children access their classroom curriculums in a broader sense. Imagine a trip through a rain forest posing as a lizard or at a farm on all fours mooing like cows or even posing as volcanoes erupting and flowing into the earth. Wenig believes that all of these elements "integrate physical learning with intellectual growth, music, the arts and other creative and life enhancing skills."
I feel this program is applicable to elementary, middle and high school curricula across the country. It doesn't matter whether an OT, PT, physical education teacher, special education or regular education teacher delivers this program to the students. Ideally it would be wonderful if it was considered an overall school initiative. The philosophy of the program that is most commendable is the idea that these skills can be generalized to other areas of a child's life.
Making yoga a habit versus just an activity will empower many children to utilize these skills not just at school but also throughout their lives. As an OT it has provided me with new, innovative, rewarding, personal and professional skills. Yogakids may not be the answer for all school age children, but it certainly is worth exploring as a means to combating this societal malady.
References available at www.advanceweb.com/ot.
Tere Bowen-Irish, OTR/L, has practiced pediatric OT and psychiatry for 27 years. Her primary focus for the past 20 years has been school system delivery for OT services. She works part-time for a public school and has her own private practice, Praxis Occupational Therapy and Life Coaching Services. She has also authored a classroom poster system titled Drive Through Exercises for Attention and Strength (Therapro Inc.) to be used in classrooms, homes and clinics for the pediatric population. She can be reached at praxiscoachtere@comcast.net.
Copyright 2005 Merion Publications
