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A new school year begins. As the children file in, they are happy to see their friends again, have many stories of summer and are ready to embrace a new teacher. Those of us who are teachers and counselors begin to assess our students and think of all the goals we have for them this year.
We all want to seize that new beginning and create a school environment that will help every student flourish. Setting up positive class routines is one way of focusing that energy, providing a regular rhythm to the days and comforting students with the structure of returning to school.
One excellent way to help establish a general classroom routine is by starting the class with a couple Yoga Calm activities. Just 5 minutes of Yoga Calm can get the group focused, develop a sense of community, energize and de-stress students so that the next 40 minutes of class is productive. It’s like a carpenter spending a few minutes sharpening his saw before beginning work.
At this summer’s inaugural Children’s Wellness Conference – now available in its entirety on DVD – Dr. Jeff Sosne discussed the positive impact of using mindfulness activities to develop healthy attention and learning habits. Among other things, the development of healthy classroom habits and routines, said Dr. Sosne, frees the brain’s executive functions for the process of learning.
Similarly, adding more time for review process and relaxing the brain further supports learning in that we integrate learned material much more effectively during times of rest than extended bouts of additional studying. Rest is very much an academic support! Providing a short 5 minute movement break with a Yoga Calm flow or a guided relaxation, may be particularly effective.
Likewise, using a “brain recess” activity such as the “One Minute Vacation, a good relaxation story or a “Mindful Moment” contemplation periodically throughout the day allows time and opportunity for students to integrate the material they’re learning.
Image by Old Shoe Woman, via Flickr
Children are so perceptive, so often aware of things that we “grownups” may not be tuned into. They know when something is wrong. They may not be able to say what it is or why it is, but they pick up on our attitudes, feelings and values. It’s one of the ways they learn from us.
Unfortunately, this is the time of year when what many of us are is stressed out.
Those of us who are teachers, school counselors, administrators or staff are learning new names and faces, and getting to know dozens of new students and parents. We’re cranking out class plans, jockeying for scarce resources, working to meet federal and state education mandates. Parents and families are adjusting to new schedules and competing demands of children’s school and afterschool activities.
While some of that stress is negative, some aspects, of course, are positive. This is an exciting time of year, ripe with new possibilities. But when it comes all at once with no let-up, it can place a heavy burden on our shoulders. And the children around us are likely aware of this – which, in turn, can add to their stress.
Obviously, it becomes even more important that we do what we can to deal with our own.
As we mentioned last time, yoga itself can be a big help.
One of the benefits of sustained, regular yoga practice, however, is that it trains both the mind and body to stay calm. It instills and reinforces the mindfulness that can become a powerful force against the pressures of daily life. It rejuvenates and restores, making us better able to face the tasks and challenges each day brings. It provides an antidote against stress.
Like any kind of exercise, yoga can be an outlet: a means of release of tension, nervous energy and negative thoughts. Even the simplest yogic acts of breath regulation can bring a sense of calm and stability in an otherwise chaotic world.
evanbdudley/Flickr
Three other skills in particular can help you manage stress effectively – skills that stem from the practice of yoga or are part of the Yoga Calm curriculum:
Sense of Control
Negative stress often comes with the feeling of life being out of control, of helplessness. But we must stop and ask: Is this really the case? Often, the problem is not with life but our perceptions of it. If we can develop a sense of control, we feel calmer and stronger, more able to handle challenges and hurdle obstacles. As the practice of yoga depends on the regulation of breath and body, it can nurture feelings of self-control – feelings summed up by one of our favorite sayings in Yoga Calm: I am strong. I am in control. I can do it. I can be responsible.
Self-control also involves being able to step back and evaluate a situation on its own terms: to see what is happening, how it is affecting you and what you can do to change the situation or deal with the problem. This is, of course, also part of the art of mindfulness that comes through the practice of yoga.
Social Connections
It’s easy to feel helpless when we feel alone. For this reason, social affiliation is another crucial component to dealing with stress. We need to know that we are not alone, that we are part of many communities – families, friends, work, social or civic groups and so on – and that we are important parts of those communities. In fact, it’s not only crucial to our mental wellbeing but to our physical health, as recent research has shown that
“the quality of a person’s social life could have an even greater impact than diet and exercise on their health and well-being. There is growing evidence that being a member of a social group can significantly reduce the risk of conditions like stroke, dementia and even the common cold.
Consequently, it’s important for us to make time for the relationships in our lives, or to establish social connections where we find them lacking.
Positive Attitude
Above all, it’s important to keep a positive outlook, which can organically arise from the practice of yoga, developing a sense of self-control and nurturing our social connections. These activities can create a positive feedback loop, boosting our spirits and our sense of possibility. And when we’ve got a good attitude, we’re much more resilient in the face of stress and other challenges. We can endure a lot if we’re happy. And our happiness can bolster that of those around us, creating another positive feedback loop and reinforcing our other strengths.
These are all qualities that can be nurtured through the practice of Yoga Calm, and shared with children so they, too, can become more stress-hardy. For more ideas on how to give this gift to children, please see our article “Stress-Proofing Kids through Yoga” (PDF).
Summertime is important to teachers with nearly three months off to recover from the school year and renew yourself. Some pursue personal and professional enrichment activities. Others take up summer teaching, whether by choice or necessity. Many will travel or just enjoy the blessing of having more relaxed, quality time with family and friends close to home. Most, though, find that it’s easier to maintain life balance through these months: keeping priorities in perspective, making time for oneself and meaningful activities, eating well and having plenty of time for exercise, fitness and, of course, play.
Yet as summer rolls to an end, many of us begin to tense up. We’re already feeling the pressure of the school year as we make our class plans, set up our classrooms, work out how we’ll get all of the teaching supplies we’ll need. And once the term begins, so returns the cycle where the greatest part of our days is given over to teaching, grading and planning – not to mention things like faculty meetings and parent conferences.
Then it becomes all too easy to lose the balance we achieved and thrived with throughout the summer.
We all know it’s important to keep balance. We know that in order to nurture and give to others, we must first nurture and give to ourselves. We know, for instance, the importance of a healthy, nutrient-rich diet to our health and wellbeing, including our mental health and ability to control stress. But when the pressure is on and we face rivaling demands, many of us fall to eating on the run, grabbing whatever we can – a sugary snack from the staff room, say, or a candy bar from a vending machine.
One of the benefits of sustained, regular yoga practice, however, is that it trains both the mind and body to stay calm. It instills and reinforces the mindfulness that can become a powerful force against the pressures of daily life. It rejuvenates and restores, making us better able to face the tasks and challenges each day brings. It provides an antidote against stress.
The reality of this is brought home to us repeatedly and regularly by the teachers, counselors and other education professionals who participate in Yoga Calm trainings. Not only do they tell us about how the principles and activities have a positive impact on their students; they tell us that they, themselves, benefit, as well.
We think the new school year is the perfect time to reinvest in your commitment to yoga – or invest for the first time – as a way to help you manage and deal with the inescapable pressures of the school year, find more joy in the innumerable pleasures of teaching and equip yourself with additional tools and knowledge for helping your students achieve. For yoga, of course, has proven benefits on academic achievement, just as the Yoga Calm curriculum provides for their social and emotional growth, as well.
We have a good number of trainings scheduled through this fall, including workshops in Minneapolis, Seattle and, for the first time ever, in Denver, and are in the process of working out our winter schedule right now. You can see our whole slate of offerings and register at the main Yoga Calm website.
