I haven’t asked, but it seems that the teacher does yoga with the kids every morning--at least she has on the days I’ve been observing. At first I chuckled to myself thinking: “What a grown-up thing to do with these little kids--even though they won’t really get it; but why not try because, if anything else, it’s loads of fun.” My expectations could not have been more wrong.
Last Tuesday as the kids were gathering around the teacher on the carpet and had begun to assume the “warrior 1” pose in pretty much total silence, the teacher looked over at me and probably read the expression on my face as I quietly said one of my favorite utterances: “Wow.” She made a brief comment about how far they’d come, which was so true. Many of the children performed the stance perfectly. In a few more weeks the others would be there, too.
Teaching the children these stances gives them a tool to calm themselves, especially in the morning after they’ve been through the commotion of getting up, dressed, fed, rushed to school; and then there’s the excitement of running around and greeting friends. So it’s the perfect time for an activity that allows them to settle down by having them center their thoughts on their bodies. Other benefits are the usual ones associated with gross motor control and balance.
I’m not sure what I’d do to extend or build upon the morning yoga. How about doing some guided imagery? This is also a very calming activity that could be done while the kids are in a seated yoga position. “You are sitting on a big puffy cloud floating high in the sky. Look down at the beautiful green hills. See the big tall trees. Birds are singing….” Oops. I’d better stop before I drift away from this computer. ;-)
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great that the teacher is trying something new with the students that I have never seen do in schools before. Yoga has a lot of benefits for adults and I can only imagine the benefits that children can get from it. Especially with obesity on the rise like it is today. Children are experiencing stress and anxiety younger and younger. Yoga would be a great way for students to control the stress in their lives.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is great. I never thought that a classroom with young children would incorporate yoga into their classroom. I think its a great way of showing these children a lot about their bodies and gives them spatial awareness.