Children’s Yoga in School for Bullying Prevention

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Dee Marie, M.A., S.Y.T.

“Jivatam Jyotiretu Vidyam,” “True education (self-knowledge) enlightens human life,” according to Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar the founder of the international Neohumanist Education System and the Ananda Marga Schools.

“If we wish to create lasting peace we must begin with the children” Mahatma Gandi

There is a growing concern throughout America regarding the increase in childhood stress, bullying, and violence. Living in Colorado, we are haunted by the incident at Columbine High School when two students felt the need to take revenge and take action in a violent manner leaving 15 dead and creating fear and sadness in the hearts of students and parents. This was the first wake up call that affluent, suburban schools were not always safe places. Violence and bullying continue to escalate according to statistics. Seventeen states across the United States report having instituted laws to reduce or eliminate bullying in schools.. In Colorado, each school district is required to have a bully prevention policy and program. This paper will discuss a classically based yoga program incorporated within an upper elementary school system in Boulder, CO. The main hypothesis of this project was to evaluate whether yoga training would effectively decrease bullying and increase anger management for 4th and 5th grade students. The rationale for this hypothesis was based on the first vow of raja yoga, ahimsa, that one vows to be non-violent to self and others.

The yoga curriculum was presented for six, 45 minute sessions during the academic school day for 101, 4^th and 5^th grade students in 2004, repeated for 108 students in 2005 and reviewed again for 105, students in 2006. The children learned yoga philosophy, practiced yoga postures, learned breathing and concentration techniques, as well as, traditional conflict resolution strategies and dialogues. Through the use of pre and post questionnaires the program was evaluated and statistics obtained. The program proved to be successful and effective. Boulder students’ self reported a decrease by 60% in their own bulling behavior and a 42% decrease in regard to being bullied by others at school A comprehensive yoga program can greatly reduce violence and bullying, but, the long term lasting effects are still unclear. The results of this intervention acknowledge yoga as an effective method for increasing anger management skills and decreasing physical outbursts of violence for upper elementary school age children during the time of implementation.  Click the Download link to read more….

More on children’s yoga and kids yoga in upcoming posts……………

Curriculum Guide for Kids Yoga

This 9 page guide is provided to each student. It is wonderfully illustrated and is easy to follow. The children are introduced to the concept of ahimsa: (non-violence to others). The booklet will explain the Union of the Body, Mind and Spirit. The students learn proper breathing techniques to stay focused. They learn proper poses and stretch exercizes to stay fit. They begin to understand the proper protocol for concentration practices. The book goes on to present skits that can be performed to guide a student toward how to handle adversarial encounters in social situations; how to use courage, humor, compassion, self esteem, and calm centeredness to prevail over a tense situation in a respectful way.

Study Results Prove Success!

Yoga Keeps Me Calm, Fit and Focused was first conducted as a pilot project at Heatherwood Elementary in Boulder Colorado, with 4th and 5th grade students. The children were asked to fill out a questionnaire before and after the 2 weeks of yoga classes taught October 2004 and again in October 2005.

Dr. Grace Wyshak at Harvard Medical School of Public Health analyzed the results of the study.  It showed a significant increase in anger management in only 4½ hours of yoga training.  She found that students reported a decrease in headaches, hitting and fidgeting, an increase in the capability to control anger, and an overall improved ability to sleep after only 6 yoga sessions.

In order to expand the program, Dee Marie instructs yoga teachers, school teachers and school counselors, along with any and all educational and healthcare professionals for a one day workshop. The CK teacher training workshops will provide teachers with a lesson plan of how to use classical yoga techniques as an intervention method for reducing bullying and aggressive behavior and increasing concentration in the Elementary and Middle School systems.

Stretching and yoga aren’t just for people who can fold themselves up like pretzels, or movie stars who have nothing better to do with their days! It can be a beneficial practice to all who use it, and one doesn’t have to adopt the worldview of the swamis in order to reap benefits from it. The pace of our lives these days is crazy—some would argue destructive.

Yoga proponents say that learning the art form will not make you dull, but more magnetic, and show you the importance of slowing down. Yoga’s ‘inactivity’ can insert a moment to breathe in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, can clear your mind, and re-energize you with just a few simple techniques.

The first lesson in any Yogic theory is how to relax. This doesn’t mean you flop on the sofa and become a couch potato; instead it is defined as ‘a conscious transfer of energy from one department of nature to another….’ Even if you do this for 5 minutes at a time over a beverage, you’re on your way to relaxing. It will increase your efficiency—try it and see!

Stretching involved in yoga can be very simple: lie on the floor without pillows. Remove your shoes and wear whatever is loose fitting and comfortable to you. Stretch your arms over your head while stretching your legs and feet. Close your eyes and let your head roll to one side.

Now release each part of your body and consciously permit each limb, each ‘section’ of your body, to meld in to the floor. Permit yourself to feel as if you are sinking and think of a peaceful scene. This will likely feel very odd to you the first time you do it, but the relaxation that you bring each part of your body will be refreshing!

Now we’ll work on stretching! Lie on the floor as you did for your full-body relaxation, only this time, interweave your fingers above your head. If you turn your palms upward, you’ll feel a bigger stretch along your ribs and spine. Stretch your arms as far above your head as possible, pointing your toes and pushing them towards the floor so you can feel every muscle between your head and feet.

Once you have stretched every part of your body, release! Now go back in to your full-body relaxation mode, remembering to start at the head and relax your way down to your toes.

Now work on the ‘complete breath’ that yoga teaches. Lying flat on the floor without pillows, place your hands gently on your diaphragm. Slowly exhale as much as you can. Very slowly begin to inhale through the mouth, evenly and without sudden stops. You will feel your diaphragm expand at this point—keep going. Now exhale through your mouth, using a slight force, expelling as much air as possible.

You have just completed your ‘complete breath’ in yogic teaching! If you build up the number of complete breaths per day, you’ll notice less tension, better rest, and a more relaxed you. Release the stress of your day and become who you were designed to be!
About the Author
This article courtesy of http://www.treadmills-guide.net

The question is why we always go for childrens yoga and not any other work out.

These days it is very alarming how many children are suffering from psychosomatic disorders such as sleeping disturbances, eating disturbances, headaches and very often wrong posture like sagging shoulders as well as stress related to pressure, competition and aggression in school. Children today are under a lot of stress and strain. Grounding, pressure to compete with other children, endless after-school activities, over-working – it all adds up. And just like their parents, kids today are turning to Yoga to help them relax.

Children’s yoga can be great fun as well as being tremendously advantageous to a child’s health and well-being. Stretching will help children become more flexible as well as strengthening their arms and legs. Doing yoga helps children exercise, play, connect more deeply with the inner self, and build up an intimate relationship with the natural world that surrounds them. Yoga brings that stunning inner light that all children have to the surface. Yoga will also improve a child’s breathing and circulation. Regular yoga practice for children will make them calmer, more relaxed and much happier.

Another approach is to create a guided imagination by telling them a story with a calming theme of some sort. As you know children have the most active mind’s eye, they imagine all sorts of things. So when doing children’s yoga let them think that they are walking on a green pasture.

You can even let them think that they are butterflies in a beautiful garden. The main idea in here is to instill a sense of peace and feeling of oneness with nature. Children’s yoga should be taught more often and in different places. It is important to teach children the meaning of union of mind, body and spirit.

To get more information about Children’s Yoga, feel free to contact Tatty Bumpkin™…

Article Source: http://articlenexus.com