How to Use Yoga With Kids in the Classroom
- 1). Choose the time of day that you will bring yoga into your classroom. It may be a time of rest and relaxation or a time of physical activity depending on what your students need. The purpose is to focus the mind of the student to be better able to receive or retain information.
- 2). Show the students how to breathe deeply while holding a Hoberman Sphere. This is especially helpful in smaller children. Have them hold one part of the sphere with each hand and guide them through breathing in slowly and then out again. Watch how the ball expands and retracts with the movement of the body. Now continue breathing more deeply in and out slowly and see how far you can get the Hoberman Sphere to expand. This exercise will help focus the mind on the breathing and how the body interacts.
- 3). Have the children stand with their feet apart, holding their hands together over their heads. Count to three and have the students swing their arms down in front of them following through until their hands are between their knees. Encourage grunting noises as though it is difficult work to make it more fun for the children as they release tension and stimulate the nervous system.
- 4). Sit in a circle with each child facing the back of the child in front of him to finish your session. This can be done in chairs or on the floor, but the children must be sitting within arm's reach of one another. Have the children gently place their hands on the other person's back and guide the children through a simple picture to draw. You may ask them to draw a tree, with the sun shining or a more complicated picture of a thunderstorm. This should be tailored to the children's age. This exercise is to help them become more aware of their surroundings.
- 5). Measure the effects or improvements you see in the classroom from these exercises. Obviously there is a large number of Yoga exercises out there and you are not limited to these activities. Use what works in your classroom for your students and if you find that there are not improvements in their ability to focus and retain information you may want to try other exercises.
