I have become a yoga fan because it has benefited me a lot during this past year. I can see the benefits for anyone, especially youngsters who are going through difficult stages in their lives: body changing, hormones kicking, big exam time… When I have a homeroom (or form in English from England!) next year, I would like to try some yoga poses with my students and give them some yoga tools to relax and control themselves and overall to help them cope with change. By researching on the Internet, I found a page listing all the benefits yoga can bring to children. Here are some:

Body:

• Assists neuromuscular-development
• Increases balance, body awareness and coordination
• Improves posture and alignment
• Develops core strength, essential for good posture and correct physical alignment
• Strengthens the immune system
• Relaxes the body, promoting better sleep

Mind:

• Calms and clears the mind
• Relieves tension and stress
• Increases concentration, focus and attention span
• Promotes thinking and memory
• Stimulates auditory processing and responsiveness
• Expands imagination and creativity
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Balances energy (high or low)

Spirit:

• Builds confidence and self-esteem
• Supports character development and emotional intelligence
• Enhances team skills and social interaction
• Develops discipline and self-control
• Inspires respect for self and others

I also found some helpful videos made by Dona Freeman who has been teaching yoga to kids and teenagers in schools and home settings since 2002. Her videos show how to apply yoga in a classroom where you don’t have any yoga accessories. For example she shows how to do a downward facing dog with a chair:

Or how to do the ragdoll pose without or with a chair. This pose can be a great reliever before an exam:

These are the kind of activities I would like to try with my students next year.

What about you? Have you tried yoga in your classroom?