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Goal

Our fast-paced world provides few opportunities to slow down, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the lives of today’s teens. Typical days can include pre-dawn wakeup calls, 7-hour school days, after-school clubs, and a plethora of extra-curricular activities (and sometimes a lack of activities that leads to lethargy and low stimulation). This exhausting process is repeated over and over, day after day, and among our students are unprecedented rates of stress, bullying, obesity, learning issues, school violence, and depression. The goal of Namaste Kid is to incorporate short “brain breaks” and stimulating whole-body/whole-mind mini-sessions throughout the school day. Through the use of children’s yoga as a holistic, comprehensive approach to stress, we can offset stressors by providing a moment of pause amidst all the activity. Using breathing integrated with physical postures and relaxation methods, yoga creates experiences to develop a healthy and balanced life. This safe and nurturing environment can foster physical, intellectual, and spiritual development. Yoga offers a way for students to reconnect their bodies with their minds. 

What will be done with my students

The beauty of yoga is that its benefits are available to students of every school-age group. Students also benefit from yoga by building on their gross motor skills while taking on challenges in strength, agility, and endurance, as well as cooperation. Yoga works by engaging the whole body and mind, providing activities that incorporate learning styles such as visual, kinesthetic, musical, intuitive, and naturalist (the awareness of one’s personal environment and interaction with nature). By providing students with inner resources—such as calming, centering, and self-acceptance—yoga helps them feel connected and whole. When teaching yoga to children, it is essential that there is a safe and accepting environment. Directing classes that are focused on the student and accepting of all individual experiences is key to encouraging a positive social environment.

Fortunately, yoga does not have to be confined to traditional settings such as a studio or a gym. Many yoga exercises are perfectly suited to an ordinary classroom. As suggested in Yoga Games for Children, “Some exercises need a little adaptation—such as sitting on a chair with…feet on the ground instead of sitting or lying on the floor. Others can be done while standing next to a desk.”

We will be incorporating daily pose practice into our IMS Walkers/Runners Club which will occur each day of the week from 7:30-8:15 am. This is in addition to the lunch times/strategic "brain break" class times of 30-45 seconds in the morning and afternoon.

August-September: Introduction and explanation (visual through cards, pictures, modeled poses) and practice of postures during strategic times throughout the day (morning, during lunch, afternoon).

October-May: Daily incorporation of “brain breaks” yoga with daily reflection of feelings through the use of a daily rating scale. During this time, faculty members will be provided training, resources, and assistance in implementing yoga “brain breaks” in their classes throughout the day. Teachers will also observe students, student triggers, student emotions and behaviors, and chart progress and/or additional areas of need. In addition, students will be given “homework” for poses and activities to practice at home and with their families. When they return at the start of each week, they will reflect in writing on their emotions and activities throughout the weekend. . As part of our district’s B-Fit initiative, it’s important to incorporate these healthy lifestyle skills into our daily lives, our families, and our community.
 

Benefits to my students

The incorporation and integration of children’s yoga encourages parasympathetic drive, allowing the body to slow down and bring the mind and body back into balance. Transferring this skill of breath is key to handling stressful situations—for instance, before taking a big test—and emphasizes a creative outlet to balance overly structured and stressful atmospheres and situations. Yoga can also be used as a tool to help foster students’ motivation, cultivate an internal locus of control, and facilitate deeper and more restful sleep. In addition, children’s yoga is physical, yet safe, and also encourages healthy and balanced living. According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, yoga provides learning experiences in all major focus areas of a physically educated and active person. Thus, actively engaging in yoga on a regular basis is one way to strive toward the AAP’s activity requirements and help children remain within a healthy weight range. Yoga also fosters self-acceptance and actualization. It invites all participants to improve concentration and focus, and even helps develop self-compassion and compassion for others. Students with learning or behavioral challenges also benefit from yoga practice. Shown to be an effective stress-management tool, studies show that students in primary grades with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who practiced yoga improved on-task time and attention as well as reduced symptoms. Through the incorporation of regular “brain breaks” yoga sessions, students will engage in stress-releasing activities that become mechanisms they can use in a variety of settings and situations throughout their lifetimes!

In addition, our activities can be replicated year after year with a larger number of students being impacted! 

Budget Narrative

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