Yoga in Education
wide range of benefits
for all key stages before & beyond
We believe that yoga is for everyone. By setting the foundations in nursery and then consistently cementing these practices along the way, in primary and secondary school, will ensure that the child will flourish into a more well-rounded individual.
Many adults have taken up yoga, but yoga has not gained as the same popularity with children. Child yoga can offer many of the same benefits to children as it does to adults.
What can yoga offer your child?
Academic research conducted over the last several years has shown the positive impact that yoga and mindfulness can have on children.
Yoga and mindfulness have been proven to:
Improve focus and attention. Children who can focus, pay attention, and concentrate are ready to learn and process information.
Cultivate emotional regulation. When children can express and regulate their emotions and behaviour in healthy ways, this reduces the intensity of emotions, so they can better address their feelings. They become less reactive and better able to engage in tasks even if emotions are high. They can respond rather than react.
Reduce stress and anxiety. Yoga and mindfulness promote more relaxed states that help children manage their day-to-day activities, as well as connect with others. These practices ease anxiety and stress and reduce tension, leaving children better able to cope with every day and more-complicated stressors.
Build resilience. Children with strong resiliency muscles are better prepared to cope and adapt to a variety of situations, so they can manage the challenges, changes, and ups and downs of daily life.
Help regulate the body and mind. When children have the tools to calm their bodies, settle their minds, and breathe more effectively, they can handle stress, be ready to learn, and connect with others. Yoga and mindfulness practices create more body awareness and insight.
Improve interpersonal relationships. Practicing yoga fosters compassion and empathy. It promotes collaboration and encourages self-respect and respect for others.
Increase flexibility, strength, and balance. The physical practices improve flexibility, strength, balance, and fine/gross motor skills, thereby promoting a healthy body image and creating healthy habits.
Improve self-esteem and build healthy habits. Self-aware children are more confident and have overall higher self-esteem. Building healthy habits promotes skills that will easily transfer to their lives inside and outside the classroom, therefore preparing children for the outside world.
where to begin
yoga for nursery
Even the very youngest of children are experiencing stresses, especially after the pandemic. Our nursery partners are witnessing the children having separation anxiety and state they are struggling socially.
Even very young children love Yoga and gain measurable benefits from practising it within the nursery environment.
By building this into the early stages of development they are able to manage their own emotions and learning the art of breathing properly.
Yoga can be practised in small spaces, so is ideal for nurseries. By using these techniques intermittently throughout the day, it will help with their own physical and mental well-being.
What we offer:
Introduction to yoga (2 hours) In this session you will cover the basics of breathing, mindfulness, yoga and gain the knowledge to get started in teaching yoga.
Chair Yoga, mindfulness moments and level one courses are all available too (see primary school section)
start early
yoga for primary schools
Awareness of the stresses that school life can place on the shoulders of even the youngest children has led to many schools wanting to use Yoga to help their students.
Even very young children love Yoga and gain measurable benefits from practising it within the school environment.
Often P.E. lessons at Primary School are taken in non-specialist areas and staff are aware that there are constraints they have to work within.
Yoga can be practised in almost any space and knowing how to teach it is a great benefit to staff and a valuable skill they can pass on to students
Primary Level 1 Yoga Course (6 hours CPD) This course will introduce teachers and school staff to the philosophy of yoga, it will provide planning and class management techniques on delivering effective yoga sessions. Delegates will receive an introductory pack of resources. The course will also explore how yoga can be linked to literacy and combine easy yoga poses with reading adventures. FREE awarding winning yoga book. Yoga cards with pictures/teaching points, 30 themed yoga lessons and SOW.
Primary Level 2 Yoga Course (Level 1 + 6hrs) This course builds on prior knowledge. You will gain a deeper understanding of alignment and explore a wider variety of postures. You will understand the relationship between breath and movement. You will start to explore partner yoga poses. Free set of resources and SOW.
Chair Yoga for the classroom (2hour CPD)
Improve focus, reduce stress and anxiety, build resilience.
Do you lose you PE space? Can you use your communal space? Do you want to improve concentration in the classroom/exams? FREE resources
Mindfulness Moments (2 hours)
Teach your pupils to meditate through breath, movement, sensory and guided imagery. Emotional regulation, improve interpersonal skills and self-esteem.
After 2 weeks the teacher will see the benefit, 4 weeks the child will see the benefits, after 6 weeks the parents will see a change in behaviour.
Free meditation pack/mindfulness/breathwork cards. A great addition to a ‘calm corner.’
help them grow
yoga for secondary schools
Secondary school students today face huge pressures. From social media to Exams, from Covid to Puberty; it’s no wonder that teenagers can be stressed out and troubled.
P.E. can also be a problem. Some teens are not competitive and dislike being made to participate when they believe they will always lose.
Yoga overcomes these issues for them and paves the way for enjoyable P.E. lessons by offering a holistic and positive alternative.
Teaching teenagers how to overcome many of their problems is rewarding for staff and knowing how to do that is valuable and empowering.
We offer:
Secondary Level 1 Yoga Course (6 hours CPD) This course will introduce teachers and school staff to the philosophy of yoga, it will provide planning and class management techniques on delivering effective yoga sessions. Teachers will get a progression route, scheme of learning with handouts, power-point of moves/teaching points.
Secondary Level 2 courses (Level 1 + 6hrs) This course will build on prior knowledge you will examine intermediate postures and proper alignment. You will become more familiar with poses and the use of breath. Teachers will receive a scheme of learning, including resources.
Mindfulness Moments (1 hour introductory, 2 hour full course)
Teach your pupils to meditate through breath, movement, sensory and guided imagery. Great for form tutors or to use in class before assessments or as ‘brain breaks.’
Desk Yoga (2 hour course)
Teach pupils to manage their well-being at their desk. Desk yoga is designed to be done at your chair. It gives the pupils the opportunity to stretch, relax and reset, without getting up from their chair. This course would be useful for form tutors to use at the beginning of the day or staff to use intermittently throughout the lesson, to get students to refocus, so they can concentrate for longer and get on with their studies.
learning never stops
yoga for university
Being away from home, maybe for the first time, long hours studying, financial pressures, can all be overwhelming for students at university. By empowering the students and teachers with yoga-inspired exercises it will promote a lifetime of wellness. We aim to develop the body and mind awareness and the ability to nurture their own well-being.
As a form of meditation, Yoga keeps the nervous system healthy. Doing Yoga while taking a break from long hours studying enhances the brain function and reduces the risk of anxiety, stress, and depression.
We offer:
Any of the above courses.
Most universities choose to run a weekly staff yoga session, alongside a student session. This can be in person or online with the option to watch the recorded version.
We also work with students and departments in our breath techniques programme.
This is a 6 week stress buster, where we complete a stress questionnaire, take blood pressure and teach breathing techniques, we then re-assess.
We also offer stress management courses, which include understanding what stress is, types of stressors and coping techniques.
