Yoga In Schools. Why you need to care.
Yoga, as a practice, is filled with themes of compassion, empathy, non-violence, self-love and acceptance, community, and healthy habits that translate well to the Protective Factors studied in Trauma Informed Practices.
Yoga can aid in building a healthy foundation for protective factors to grow and reduce the impact of trauma or risk factors a student may experience.
Read on to learn why a Yoga-Based Trauma-Informed Practice should be implemented in schools.
Imagine yourself as an observer within a high school in the heart of Kansas City. You walk the large halls. Waves of nostalgia sweep over you from memories of your time as a lonely Sophomore. Insecurity, uncertainty, and frustration from home, school, and friends are emotions not too far from grasp. The experiences from high school are bags many of us carry.
You continue your journey through the halls until you land in the classroom you are assigned to observe. The classroom is spacious. Inspirational quotes line the walls and a comfy chair calls your name in the corner.
The teacher strolls in. The two of you share greetings and you explain you are the district’s newest SEL Program Director. Shortly after, the wait begins for the students to arrive. As students trickle in, they don't notice you, the newest addition to their space. Body language and verbal language are observed and you consider how you might have sounded at that age. Curiosities of their home life arise. What journey they just came from and how that journey might influence them now.
Another teacher comes in to chat with the room's primary teacher and overhears a student who is loudly talking with another student. The newest teacher in the space approaches the student and asks her to speak lower. The student fights back, doubling down on her volume and tone. The second teacher matches the energy and proceeds to double down on her feeling of authority. The one-ups continue until the student storms out of the classroom.
A few moments later, the teacher’s radios become frantic with chatter and calls for assistance. There is a fight between two students down the hall. It is revealed, the student who left the classroom you are observing, is the student who antagonized the fight. This is day one of your month-long observation of the high school before you recommend a SEL program for the school.
The month continues. More observations are noted, but your mind is persistent with the memory from the first day. "What could have been different?" is a question you are plagued with. This first observation is the crux of your recommendation for a Kid’s Yoga Program in Schools, a Trauma Informed Practice
What is a Trauma-Informed Practice?
Trauma-Informed Practices in Schools are backed by evidence to have a positive impact on behaviors from students and reactions to behaviors by teachers. Trauma-Informed Practices in Schools start with looking at the entirety of students. Adult resources must become curious about a student’s resources, their family, their limitations, and more to better meet students where they are. Trauma-Informed Practices can range from intentional time and spaces outside the classroom or use of different language and activities led by the teacher within the classroom.
Inviting a Kid’s Yoga Program in Schools is an innovative route to fold Social and Emotional Learning (a Trauma Informed Practice) into schools in a fun, movement-oriented, and community-building way.
Yoga In Schools.
Yoga in Schools can aid in the reset and paradigm shift many school districts contend with as society moves further from the pandemic. Yoga, as a practice, is filled with themes of compassion, empathy, non-violence, self-love and acceptance, community, and healthy habits that translate well to the Protective Factors studied in Trauma Informed Practices.
Yoga can aid in building a healthy foundation for protective factors to grow and reduce the impact of trauma or risk factors a student may experience.
How?
Restorative > Punitive. A Yoga Program in Schools is designed to be Restorative versus Punitive. Yoga in Schools provides a space for students to reflect and observe themselves and others. There is a thread of mediation to restore the harm done. This can be seen in examples of having students who destroyed a classroom have to work together to clean up their own mess.
Mindfulness in Student. Kids Yoga in Schools teaches students mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as, "A practice of intentional, non-judgemental awareness of present-moment experiences" (Broderick & Metz, 2011). Mindfulness is shown to result in improvements in levels of stress and anxiety (Terrah Keck-Kester, Lina Huerta-Saenz, Ryan Spotts, Laura Duda & Nazia Raja-Khan (2021)).
New Physical Pathways and Emotional Regulation. Yoga in Schools means mindful movements. Movements that teach a student to understand how the body moves and is connected. Schools that offer regular yoga sessions to students often find atheletes migrating to the sessions. These new pathways open outlets throughout the body and can result in emotional regulation and more intentional movements (Daly, Et. Al, 2015).
Finding Community. It is important for schools to offer as many outlets and opportunities for students to scratch a curiosity itch. These offerings help the student define themselves and their interests, but it also allows for a community to be built. Moving and breathing together in a space with your peers is one of the more primitive ways of connection. Rowing teams, Tennis Doubles, and even people who walk together understand the bond that is formed with people who are in a space breathing and moving together. Yoga in Schools helps students explore more avenues of bonding with their peers.
We return back to our story as a High School SEL Director. As you are closing out your recommendation, there is one more line you must include, “Yoga is a self-care practice that will protect you against trauma in your life.”
Yoga as a practice is sustainable. Yoga is community building. Yoga is energizing and connecting. Why shouldn't students be given the opportunity to experience these benefits?
As you move to your next school, you presume it will be challenging to find a better recommendation than a form of Trauma Informed Kids Yoga Programs in schools.
AIMwell KIDS Yoga is a Yoga Program offered to schools in the KC Metro area. AIMwell KIDS Yoga is a data-backed program that measures mindfulness, confidence, emotional regulation, and improves mental and physical health.
Connect with us for more details on the program and how to invite us to your school today!
Citations:
Broderick, P., & Metz, S. (2011). Learning to BREATHE: A Pilot Trial of a Mindfulness Curriculum for Adolescents. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1080
Daly, L., Haden, S., Hagins, M., Papouchis, N., & Ramirez, P. (2015). Yoga and Emotion Regulation in High School Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1155
Keck-Kester, T., Huerta-Saenz, L., Spotts, R., Duda, L., & Raja-Khan, N. (2022). Do Mindfulness Interventions Improve Obesity Rates in Children and Adolescents: A Review of the Evidence. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity. https://doi.org/10.2147
