Written by our Children & Young People Health & Wellbeing Strategic Lead, Vicki Readings
“There’s no time in the timetable”, “I can’t plan anymore lessons”, “I won’t be able to fit it in”, “I’ve never done yoga before”
Forget all the above, you don’t have to find more time or plan, we teach you everything you need to know to use yoga and a range of wellbeing techniques to support not only the children in your classroom but you, too!
It doesn’t need to take a long time, you don’t need to be an avid yogi, you just need to want to have fun and give it a go!
Let’s take the start of the day as an example; we often greet children in a morning, not knowing what to expect with a range of emotions and/or challenges right from the word go. What if, before starting the school day, we get everyone in the classroom, sat in their chairs or on the carpet together and just ask them to wave good morning to one another? A simple thing, that often leads to smiling faces, connections and engagement. That recognition of who is here today, learning together and being together in this space.
Or how about, before each task we set, after the starter and the initial teaching input, we take a deep breath, closing our eyes, settling into the space and then begin our learning. Three deep breaths, does this change the children’s and/or your approach and feelings towards the task? Sometimes we need a moment to focus our brains.
After lunch, children often come in the classroom, buzzing with energy, telling us about all the things that happened at lunch, losing items of clothing, falling out with friends etc… What about if, as they walk through the door, we are playing calming, relaxation music and we ask them to draw or colour for 2 minutes whilst we take the register? You could use their whiteboards, give them only a pencil and let them explore, process and have 2 minutes to adjust to the space and the afternoon ahead!
Or, do a simple yoga pose such as mountain pose, stood behind their chair, taking 3 deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth and then sitting ourselves down or do it outside the classroom before they enter the learning space.