Posts Tagged ‘research’


Kids Yoga in Schools: Getting First Graders Ready to Write

Sue, a first grade teacher from Michigan writes:

I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”

Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.39.23 PM

 

This is a great question!  Yoga in schools can be a powerful resource for helping kids get ready to write, as well as do other school tasks.  Kids’ Yoga is not going to take overly energetic children and mesmerize them into a state of conformity, but it can help a child transform their energy into a more usable form for accomplishing particular tasks. As teachers we occasionally need tiny reminders that children are not built to sit for long periods, and their squirminess might be good feedback to us that their bodies truly need to move in order for their brains to work most efficiently.

I know that, as an adult, when I rush around my world to run errands and then sit down in front of my computer to get some work done, it takes me a bit of time to refocus on my task at hand.  Also, if I sit for an extended period of time I need to get up and move to focus most efficiently. Similarly, if a child is moving from one activity to the next without time to refocus with some deliberate guidance, or is sitting for extending periods of time without a chance for specific movement, then it’s likely that s/he won’t be able to give her best.

Yoga in schools can provide purposeful tools for helping children refocus.  There’s much involved in how yoga can do this.  However, simply put, focusing on one’s body to get into and hold a pose can help quiet the mind’s chatter, allowing more space for purposefully focused thought. And if the yoga movement itself is sufficiently involved it can fulfill the body’s need to move in order to stimulate the necessary systems for optimal learning.

In other words the physical yoga poses and the focus necessary to accomplish them work in tandem to help children refocus.

In addition to this, particular sequencing of poses also has the potential to calm the nervous system, which counters the stressors that physically shut down the brain for learning. The brain of a child who is in distress physically shuts down the networking necessary for learning.  The brain of a relaxed child has much greater learning potential.

When thinking about yoga in schools it might be helpful to know that poses can be divided into three categories regarding their main effects on the nervous system:

  • energizing poses (red – see arrow in pic below)
  • calming poses (blue)
  • neutral poses (yellow)

Poses can be sequenced to deliberately shoot for particular goals. For example, our Brain Break sequence was created to assist students in refocusing within their school day with the least number of poses necessary to accomplish the goal.

Brain Break Sequence includes:

  • Triangle – general movement lengthening and strengthening the entire body
  • Standing V – the inversion allows blood flow to the brain which may enhance mental functioning and forward bends calm the nervous system
  • Eagle – crosses the mid-line helping the two halves of the brain communicate through the corpus callosum (helping to coordinate skills being carried out in different parts of the brain).  Eagle also stimulates the vestibular system (balance), stimulating the brain for new learning
  • Sailboat – crosses the mid-line and twisting allows for additional release of tension

Note below: the color coding above each pose in the app screenshot: red, blue and yellow represent energizing, calming and neutral poses respectively.

Brain Break Sequence shown in Canvas. Press Play to begin video.

Brain Break Sequence shown in Canvas. Press Play to begin video.

 

The Jazz up My Brain sequence within the Sing Song Yoga App is a longer version at 22 minutes. Teachers can throw poses out or add poses within the app within the sequence canvas and make it work for each situation. Sequences you create can be saved and named.  And here’s another example of the app in use.

Thanks for stopping by! We intend to continue growing our posts dedicated to helping teachers enjoy the benefits of yoga in the classroom!

Until next time, Happy Teaching!

 

We would LOVE to hear from you – how you’re using yoga in schools or questions of how to begin.  We are on Twitter @singsongyoga  and Facebook  and really look forward to connecting!

#ssykidquestion green room

 

For more info:

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 24th, 2015.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Kid's Yoga Sequences, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
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Can a Tablet Actually Get Kids Moving?

Tablets are typically a source of screen time for kids.  During screen time the child is still, the eyes hold a fixed gaze, and the image on the screen is moving.  So as a teacher and a mom, I’m thrilled to encourage your kids to use the Sing Song Yoga® kids yoga app to transform their screen time into some “music and movement” time.

This whiteboard animation and jingle are a fun way to say the same thing…

When kids move, play and sing they use their brains well.
Building their brains is naturally fun.
Paving the brain roads and making connections
A well-developed brain makes learning easy and fun!

But too often now kids sit with one of these.
Which at times can be a bit of a concern.
So let’s use tablets to get kids moving
So we can see the benefits of moving return

Experts find that yoga helps kids
With focus, awareness, coordination and more.
A kids’ yoga studio on your TV
Find the Sing Song Yoga® App in the App Store.

So have fun encouraging your kids to use their tablets to keep moving!  And thanks in advance for sharing this post!

The Sing Song Yoga® App is available in the Apple App Store and is explained in detail in this former blog post.

For more information about our program check out www.singsongyoga.com

 

screenshot:

Sing Song Yoga Kids Yoga App video animation

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 23rd, 2013.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Parenting, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga Research.
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Yoga in Schools Proven Effective

The #1 question for school-based yoga programs is “Does it really work?” The International Association for School Yoga and Mindfulness (IASYM) responds with a resounding “Yes!”

Discover how yoga is impacting kids, teachers and administrators through innovative programs proven effective by University research. (more…)

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 7th, 2012.
Posted in Yoga Research.
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The Benefits of Yoga in U.S. Schools

Yoga classes for kids are taking off, as advocates say it’s especially helpful for those with focusing problems

A 2003 study by California State University, Los Angeles found that yoga improved students’ behavior, physical health and academic performance, as well as attitudes toward themselves. That same year, Leipzig University reported that yoga reduces feelings of helplessness and aggression, and in the long term helps emotional balance. The benefits of yoga are particularly strong among children with special needs, research shows. (more…)

This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2012.
Posted in Yoga Research.
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Yoga May Help Prevent Adolescent Mental Problems

High school students who do yoga may derive psychological benefits, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported in the April issue of Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. Leading author, Jessica Noggle, PhD of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston said that since mental health disorders usually develops in teenage years: “Yoga may serve a preventive role in adolescent mental health.” (more…)

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2012.
Posted in Yoga Research.
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