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Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants to have their truth acknowledged. Maybe this is why one of the biggest frustrations we deal with growing up is the sense of not being heard – or even having a voice. Sometimes when children are referred for psychiatric medication, they resist. They don’t want to be seen as different or to be labeled. So parents are put into a difficult position. As I wrote earlier this year,
Deciding whether to medicate a child is a big decision. It can give a child the chance to experience life with less anxiety and social conflict. Sometimes, medication is absolutely necessary. But often, there’s an unfortunate side effect: parents drop the skills-training and other support they were providing their child. And their child gets the message loud and clear: When you’re struggling, use medicine. No need to keep practicing your friendship skills or learning tools for attention and how to self-regulate. Put all your faith in the pills.
This issue was at the front of my mind while reading Dosed, a new book that exists to recognize the experiences of what its subtitle names “The Medication Generation.” Drug-driven treatment, says author Kaitlin Bell Barnett, “has shaped who they are, who they seem to be, or who they declare themselves to be.”
Indeed, issues of selfhood are often front-and-center as Barnett examines the life stories of a representative sample of young adults, as well as her own experience. For as she notes, youth is a time of self-discovery. The sense of self is developing, evolving, maturing. Add meds, and “Who am I?” can become a kind of Gordian knot: Am I me or the medication? Do the pills make me Me? Or is the real me the one who has problems that the drugs cover up?
“I don’t really feel the medicine anymore,” a fourteen-year-old girl told researcher Tally Moses in her study of teenagers’ commitment to continuing their medication. “I’m sure it’s helping me in some way…. Like I started taking medication for ADHD when I was five years old so it’s not like it’s new. I’ve pretty much lived with it for as long as I can remember.” Nevertheless, for many kids at this age, the drugs contribute to a sense of constantly grasping and questing after one’s identity, of being involved in a very immediate and intense process of self-discovery that leads to more introspection and questioning, even in the case of long-lasting treatment. In addition to asking what purpose the medication is serving and how well it is achieving that purpose, teenagers can quite legitimately ask another question: “Am I still the same person who needed medication back then?”
As Barnett and her subjects reveal, it’s not just the nature of the drugs or the act of medicating that raises these questions. Adults’ actions matter, too. Perhaps the most common example is when a child is having a bad or problem-riddled day, and a parent, or other adult asks if they’ve remembered to take their medication. Or consider the well-intentioned explanation that a child’s problems are due to a “chemical imbalance,” which, as Barnett notes, effectively “[separates] the child from the problem.”
With this kind of messaging, it’s relatively easy to become disconnected from one’s feelings. Barnett cites psychiatrist David Mintz:
“A healthier person thinks, ‘Well what does this mean and what should I do with this,’” he explains. “’Does my guilt mean I shouldn’t ever do this thing again? Does my anger mean I have to confront somebody?’” But some young people who have spent their formative years taking medication, he has observed, “end up thinking of their feelings not as guides, but simply as symptoms.” Debra Emmite, a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Houston, also thinks that medication, and the symptom-based model of biological psychiatry that goes along with it, can cause kids to doubt the authenticity of their emotions.
And if “self” is tied to symptoms, what happens when symptoms change? Barnett describes her own experience of tapering off Prozac at her doctor’s suggestion and struggling to understand her “deterioration” when new symptoms arose.
It’s striking to me now that I was so blithely confident that it was the same old problem – and that Prozac would work as it had before – despite the unfamiliar symptoms. To my recollection, no one suggested, and I didn’t consider, the possibility that what looked like a relapse might be withdrawal, my brain adjusting to functioning without the drug…. Instead, I took the represcription as confirmation that I did, in fact, have a fundamental, lasting “chemical imbalance” that needed righting. I refused to conceive of this chemical imbalance shifting over time, which is one reason I had considered it absurd of my pediatrician to suggest my depression might no longer require medication treatment. But in assuming so resolutely that I required continuing pharmaceutical treatment, I ended up missing the ways in which my problems – or at least my problems as they manifested themselves – had in fact changed….
***
With only one way of understanding my problems, I forced my new symptoms to fit into the same conceptual framework. To do otherwise would have been to dismantle the coherent sense of self I’d worked so hard to construct.
There can be a similar grasping for identity in the refusal to take meds, as well:
What may see like a simple act of frustration or a developmentally normal assertion of independence, however, can also reflect a deeper, fundamental anxiety about what taking medication signifies, or about the ways in which it makes you “not yourself.” At a time when the search for one’s identity is already a fraught, challenging, and muddled process, rejecting drugs that change emotions and behavior can be not only a rebellion against authority figures, but an attempt to preserve the aspects of self kids hold dear.
Dosed really underscores why it is so crucial that we teach and nurture mindfulness in the children in our classrooms, clinics, studios and lives, especially when medication is deemed necessary to help them cope. The kinds of social-emotional games and processes we do in Yoga Calm support this task, just as the physical yoga helps them be in tune to what their bodies are saying. Kids gain tools and strategies for making sense of their treatment and developing a stable sense of self. It’s why more and more psychiatric clinics and treatment centers dedicated to the well-being of children are turning to Yoga Calm as an adjunct treatment. Bottom line: It improves outcomes.
You can learn more about Dosed at rxdosed.com and the author’s blog.
Another way to counter the problem of childhood obesity is by encouraging kids to get outdoors and moving.
It’s not uncommon for the average American youth to spend up to 90% of waking hours indoors – and to spend much of that plugged in to computers, video games, smartphones, TV and other electronic gadgets. Not only does this take a toll on their health, but it ensures their disconnect from the natural world – a state that, most agree, is prerequisite for the kind of apathetic stewardship that has brought our world to the ecological brink. Time spent connecting with nature also gives kids opportunities to become more self-aware and mindful – key to developing self-regulation, empathy and other prosocial skills.
We connect to nature through our feeling states. When using Yoga Calm teachings, children can begin to recognize the effects that natural environments have on their bodies and minds.
Each element – earth, air, fire and water – has characteristics that correspond to certain feelings in the body. This understanding is expressed in our language about people, such as when we describe one person as airy or lighthearted and another as earthy or grounded. Kids can learn to develop and strengthen feeling states through activities and connection with the elements. For instance, trudging through a muddy mountain trail with a pack on gives a feeling of being grounded, while flying a kite gives a feeling of freedom and flight. By understanding, exploring and expressing these feelings, students can begin to develop a deeper relationship with nature, and they can begin to notice that nature can help teach us to be more grounded, free or fluid.
A great place to begin building a relationship with the natural world is through activities that open the senses and build trust, like observations or silent walking in nature. Once the foundation is laid, activities that encourage belonging and stewardship become both more practicable and powerful.
Good observation requires the ability to be still, patient and curious. The activities below can be used to help children develop these skills. Particularly important are times for the students to get outside and connect to the nature that is available to them. Street trees, vacant lots and school playgrounds all provide opportunities for kids to develop a sense of stewardship to the land where they live and play, as well as provide education about their native plants and habitat. Just make sure you scout these areas first for any hazards.
Following each activity or experiment, you can give the students time to journal about their experiences. They can record what happened (the original meaning of “journal”), their feelings about the experience, their thoughts or anything else they would like to explore and record. Some may choose to write a poem or draw a picture. Some may decide to write a list of things they can do to help the environment. You can offer specific ideas for journaling or you can leave it open-ended.
3 Earth Activities
- Outdoor Observation (Silent Walking)
For this activity, have the children walk silently in nearby nature, observing and using multiple senses – looking, listening, smelling, touching. The intention is for them to wander at a fairly slow pace and find a “special” spot or place they can begin to “bond” or connect with. They learn to observe the Earth in particular – to feel or smell the soil in different areas, for instance, or touch different trees or plants, or just close their eyes and listen to the tree branches rustling in the wind. It’s important to give them a time limit, though, and to specify appropriate areas and boundaries. They should be close enough to hear your cue for them to return. - Sensory Walk/Trust Walk
In this activity, children guide each other to various natural objects. Those who are being guided have their eyes closed or covered by a cloth or bandana, which lets them experience the natural objects with non-visual senses such as feeling and smelling. This activity is most effective when done outside, where students have a chance to discover natural objects in a natural setting. If weather isn’t permitting, though, natural objects collected ahead of time can be placed around a room. Be sure to set ground rules about which objects are appropriate to touch and pick up and which ones are not. It’s also probably best to rule out the sense of taste as an option and to discuss the reasons with the group. (A classroom version of this activity is in our book, Yoga Calm for Children.) - Nature Gallery
Let the kids designate a specific place in the room (e.g., a shelf or table) where chosen natural objects can be placed at any point throughout the sessions. These can be objects discovered during walks or objects they bring from their homes and neighborhoods. Eventually, the space becomes the children’s own beautiful nature gallery, helping to cultivate a connection to nature – particularly nearby nature. This also helps give students a sense of place, which can become a springboard for stewardship of the local environment. The nature gallery can also be used for science lessons.
Be sure to check back for our next post, which will have even more activities to get kids moving and connecting with the natural world!
Adapted from the e-book Creating a Sustainable Future: Yoga Calm Environmental Education Curriculum Guide, available for download soon through the Yoga Calm Store.
Images by Jos van Wunnik and lori05871, via Flickr
Learn more about how Yoga Calm and environmental education activities can be used together to foster meaningful connections between personal and planetary health, a lifelong interest in science and increased environmental citizenry and stewardship. Join us for the next session of our Creating a Sustainable Future workshop, September 24 – 25 at Still Moving Yoga in Portland, Oregon.
Sleep serves important biological functions, giving the body time and opportunity for a host of metabolic processes that just can’t be done while we’re conscious and actively using our bodies and minds. It also serves important cognitive processes, such as solidifying memories and strengthening the brain for learning. Infants even learn while they sleep, as one study recently demonstrated. Interrupted sleep, in turn, may impair memory, if current animal studies prove to be correct.
We discuss the need for rest and quality sleep at some length in our book Yoga Calm for Children – a discussion summarized in our previous post, 10 Tips for Better Sleep.
Now we’re seeing that sleep may play a role in the epidemic of childhood obesity, as demonstrated in a study published earlier this year in Pediatrics. As ABC News’ coverage of the study noted,
The report…said young children who skimp on sleep both during the week and on the weekends have a four-fold risk of obesity compared with their more well-rested peers.
* * *
Total sleep time for obese children was more variable on weekends than on school days and they tended to get less catch-up sleep compared with normal and overweight youngsters. Those who got the least amount of sleep overall had a 4.2 times higher risk of tipping the scales in the obese range than other children. When the researchers drew blood samples from a third of the children at random, the heaviest children also had the unhealthiest blood profiles.
Even children who slumbered little during the week but managed to make up for a small portion of missed sleep on the weekends tripled their risk of obesity.
Why should this be? One theory is that irregular sleep so messes with the body’s internal clock, hormone regulation is thrown out of whack and metabolism is disrupted. This, in turn, may lead the body to slow it down and retain fat stores.
Of course, we all know that the ongoing problem of childhood obesity isn’t a single-cause problem. (Indeed, at least one new study has been launched that aims to examine the full range of contributing factors, from the cellular level to the cultural.) There are, of course, the most conspicuous culprits – diet and lack of physical activity – but there are others, including stress, which ensures elevated cortisol levels, which in turn prompt the storage of fat. And many of these may prove to be mutually reinforcing factors, making the problem that much more difficult to solve.
Yet – as our newsletter subscribers know from our latest mailing, “Obesity on the Run?” – as awareness grows, we’re starting to see more practical proposals for combating it, from Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to new models of taxing junk foods and subsidizing healthy ones.
In our next posts, we’ll look at more ways of confronting the obesity epidemic, including tips and activities to help kids to get outside and active.
Image by Visions By Vicky, via Flickr
The average American child now spends over 8 hours in front of a screen each day. She emails, texts, and updates her status incessantly. He can name hundreds of corporate logos, but less than ten native plants. She aspires to have hundreds of online friends, most she may never meet in person. He masters complicated situations presented in game after game, but often avoids simple person-to-person conversation. They are almost entirely out of contact with the world that, over millions of years of evolution, shaped human beings — the natural world.
Play Again is a remarkable documentary on the impact of our screen-dominated culture on kids and their relationship to the natural world. In it, filmmakers follow 6 teenagers as they unplug and embark on “a wilderness adventure – no electricity, no cell phone coverage, no virtual reality.” Balanced by expert commentary from the likes of sociologist Juliet Schor, environmental writer Bill McKibben and others, the film “investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.”
As we mentioned in our previous post about this film, Yoga Calm is committed to providing tools and resources to counter trends like those in the opening quote above – including, this year, our first ever Yoga Calm Summer Camp. One of our newest Certified Instructors, Dr. Nadia Delshad, was at Still Moving Yoga here in Portland, Oregon, for our inaugural camp and recently sent us her reflections on the experience:
The Beauty of Yoga Calm Summer Camp
With smiling hearts, new friendships and beautiful memories created, 13 children said goodbye to one another after spending a very special week at Yoga Calm Summer Camp. Together, they had developed wellness habits, environmental awareness, social skills and creative expression amongst the idyllic strawberry-lined paths, lush trees and gardens of Lynea and Jim Gillen’s tranquil studios in Southwest Portland.
In addition to her many years of counseling and yoga practice, Lynea also has had substantial experience in facilitating summer art camps. Tapping into this for Yoga Calm Summer Camp, she created – in her wonderfully unique style – a peaceful, creative and meaningful experience for both children and staff. Richly significant connections between personal and planetary health were fostered, and creative ways of continuing to respect this relationship, encouraged.
Lynea’s and Leah Schuyler’s good work in both developing this comprehensive environmental education program (Leah has a degree in Ecopsychology) and leading the sessions was complemented by that of Lynea’s husband Jim, a former environmental educator with the National Science Foundation who also created and tends to the beautiful gardens that served as setting for the camp.
If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, “the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.” – David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia
I was privileged to share this week with wonderful young human beings and observe how each day the children became physically and emotionally stronger, kinder to one another, more connected to their environment and more empowered through a deeper knowledge of nature’s wonders. Consistently, I thought of how strongly I wanted every person on this planet – children and adults alike – to be able to have this same experience, which I will certainly treasure for a lifetime. For as the mother of two toddler boys, I often wonder at the environment they will find themselves in through their journey into adulthood. I deeply hope that we, collectively, are able to preserve the beautiful blessings of nature that we have been so fortunate to have inherited. Nature has given us so much – provides us with so many gifts. I want us to pass these blessings on to following generations. We eat and breathe and drink only because of nature. We are all a part of nature, and teaching our children gratitude will ensure our survival on this planet.
To trace the history of a river or a raindrop, as John Muir would have done, is also to trace the history of the soul, the history of the mind descending and arising in the body. In both, we constantly seek and stumble on divinity…. – Gretel Ehrlich
At the end of camp week, the children shared how they had enjoyed creating their personal bonding experience on the land and connecting to that special place for quiet reflection each day. They had fun picking berries and planting herbs. They loved learning to drum and challenged themselves in yoga poses and sequences. One young boy said that he loved “everything” about yoga camp – that it was the best camp he had ever been to.
It was certainly the best camp I had ever been to!
Thank you to all those good human beings who were involved in making this wonderful week possible, and may many children be as fortunate to experience this beauty in their lives and hearts in the future.
Man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard; [the Lakota] knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too. – Luther Standing Bear
Just as a child has that magical capacity to move among the earth, I am reminded that if we allow ourselves as adults we too can “see the land as an animal does; experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees.” – Valerie Andrews, A Passion for this Earth
Nadia Delshad, PsyD, is a Certified Yoga Calm Instructor, clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist who has worked with children and families for over 17 years. She has an MS in developmental child psychology and a PsyD in clinical psychology. She is currently teaching Yoga Calm and social-emotional skills training to children from preschool through 5th Grade with a family coaching method component for parents. You can find her at Young Yogis on Facebook.
Those of you who have known us or the program for a while know that Yoga Calm was born out of real world, classroom need.
At the time – right around the turn of the millennium – Lynea was working as a counselor in a rural Oregon elementary school, where, as we write in Yoga Calm for Children, she
began to see a steady increase of students with extreme behavioral issues. Some had been diagnosed with severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while others had been diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder or autism. Some came from traumatic backgrounds. As their counselor, Lynea observed how hard it was for them to sit in a group and share. She felt they needed opportunities to manage and direct their strong feelings and impulses – like those of the young boy she saw one day crouch under a table in a fetal position, screaming, “Help me! Can anyone please help me!” This child’s obvious pain touched her deeply. She wanted to help him find peace in his small body. She could see the trauma he physically held, how his instinct to protect himself drove him under the table – a common way for wounded children to self-soothe.
Through her own yoga practice and counseling work, Lynea had learned to listen to the body and the heart to find a path toward healing. When the body opens, emotions can be released, and the body and heart grow strong together. She wanted to help her students experience these benefits. She believed that a practice that was both physically and emotionally supportive could help these children and others like them.
The increase in ADHD, autism and behavioral disorders that led us to develop Yoga Calm is just one set of health issues facing kids today – and one sign that perhaps we, as a society, have been less than diligent when it comes to supporting children’s health. The growing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes tell the same story, as do increases in other mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety.
Feeding such health problems are a number of disturbing trends including lack of quality sleep, overexposure to electronic media and violent imagery, sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary habits. Add to these any number of life stressors such as economic insecurity, family troubles, trauma and loss and ever increasing academic pressures.
It says something about the profound resilience of children that so many thrive in the face of so many challenges.
But there is good news. Interest in holistic education is growing, and teachers all across the country are finding ways to teach that develop healthier habits. Yoga Calm is on the cutting edge of this change. We can provide more opportunities for kids to get active, even as we continue to focus on the good things we are already doing. We’re becoming better role models ourselves, and as we begin to make wise life choices, we teach children how to make positive life choices, too.
Our vision of the future is that we will make more time for community, to be active together, talking with and listening to each other instead of zoning out on ever more ubiquitous screens. We can follow the sage advice of Gandhi and be the change we wish to see in the world – and see in our children.
This week is Child Health Week here in the United States. What commitment are you ready to make – or reaffirm – to improve and support the health of our most precious national resource?
Image by RebeccaBoyd via Flickr
There are a few times each year when we’re more apt than usual to indulge in delicious but not always healthy foods. Thanksgiving. Christmas. And summertime? You bet!
Think of burgers, hot dogs and corn dogs at a theme park, ballpark or beach boardwalk. Think of the deep-fried everything that’s fair food. Fourth of July barbecue. Ice cream and popsicles. Casseroles and other comfort foods at family gatherings. Rich entrees or desserts in restaurants while traveling, just as a “special treat.” Sodas, lemonade and other sugar-dense drinks.
Perhaps the one saving grace is that we also tend to be more active in the summer, so we burn off some of the excess intake.
But summer treats don’t need to be unhealthy. Instead of just saying, “No,” why not provide healthier alternatives? And by making the effort to provide better ones, we can be good role models for the children in our lives, showing how making healthy choices can be enjoyable.
Here’s a recipe for one such summer treat: a gluten- and dairy-free pineapple upside down cake, by Jim’s sister, Mary Hendrick, who’s currently writing a recipe book and launching a website on gluten-free cooking.
Mary’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 11 tbs butter (1 stick plus 3 tbs) or coconut oil
I use unsalted butter, as it is cleaner than salted and doesn’t add so much sodium.- 1 cup coconut palm sugar (or less, to taste)
This can be found in most natural or health food stores or ordered online. It may be a bit chunky. If so, just smooth it out with a rolling pin.- Pineapple slices – enough to cover bottom of pan
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups of Pamela’s Pancake Mix
This can be found in most natural or health food stores or ordered online.- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
This can be found in the refrigerated section of most natural or health food stores or ordered online.Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Melt 3 tbs of butter OR take 3 tbs of melted coconut oil, and spread it evenly over the bottom of an 8″ square pan.
- Sprinkle 1/3 cup of coconut palm sugar evenly over the greased pan.
- Arrange pineapple slices on the bottom of the greased and sugared pan.
- In a medium bowl, cream together 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter or coconut oil and the remaining coconut palm sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Combine pancake mix and salt, and add to creamed mixture alternately with the coconut milk.
- Spread the batter over the pineapple in the pan, making sure to cover the fruit completely.
- Bake 40 – 50 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Serve warm out of pan or, if desired, allow the cake to cool, then invert it onto a serving dish.
This dish works well with other fruits, too, such as apples, peaches or even a mixture.
Enjoy!
And for more ideas on improving children’s nutrition, be sure to join us for our upcoming Children’s Wellness Conference, where Dr. Michelle Ratcliffe – Manager of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program – will be one of our featured speakers. Changing school food can improve children’s health and learning, develop healthy lifelong habits and connect schools with their local communities. Learn how to make a difference in your school and community with one of the key issues of our age – food!
Learn more about the inaugural Children’s Wellness Conference. The full program of speakers and sessions is available here.
Health care and climate change dominate the headlines these days, but how are they related?
Well, for one, through our children. In fact, no two issues will affect them more in their lifetimes – from supporting Medicare costs for us baby boomers to dealing with the effects of major changes in weather patterns. And solutions to those issues are also interrelated, starting with the need to get children outside in nature and moving more.
just sof/Flickr
In addition to creating opportunities for much needed exercise, reconnecting children with nature is a prerequisite to their understanding and dealing with environmental issues. As Robert Pyle writes in The Thundertree, “What is the extinction of the condor to a child who has never known a wren?”
From the air we breathe to the food we eat to the exercise and solace we find in nature, our personal wellness is inextricably linked to the health of our environment. In fact, Richard Louv notes in Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, children’s alienation from nature is linked to ADHD, stress, depression and anxiety disorders, not to mention childhood obesity.
And yet its not just kids’ physical and mental health that improve when they’re more connected to the natural world. National studies have shown that the experiential and conceptual use of environmental education as an integrating concept also improves learning in math, science, social studies and language arts.
There’s no question to these benefits. The great challenge is how to get our students – and ourselves – reconnected with the natural world; how to stay engaged and hopeful in the face of overwhelming environmental issues; how to work together to creatively respond to our changing world.
That’s why we created our newest course, Creating a Sustainable Future – Integrating Wellness & Environmental Education.
This course demonstrates how Yoga Calm and environmental education activities can be integrated to develop high-interest, interdisciplinary lessons that meet and support K-8 health, science and physical education standards and curricula. Through exploring techniques of physical yoga, observation, self-reflection, social/emotional skills development, storytelling and simple schoolyard explorations, teachers, counselors and environmental educators will learn how to cultivate children’s innate curiosity and appreciation of their bodies, each other, animal life and other aspects of their natural, daily environment. This foundation provides the motivation and a powerful thematic basis for integrating more cognitive environmental education and natural science curricula.
With this creative, highly experiential and integrated approach to environmental education, meaningful connections between personal and planetary health can be drawn, fostering a lifelong interest in science and increased environmental citizenry and stewardship.
Our inaugural workshop is scheduled for April 10-11, 2010. Register now.
Last month, we looked at how the distraction brought on by electronic media and multitasking can cause problems for kids – things like lower grades, mood swings and more behavioral issues. But it’s not just about mental distraction. There’s a physical aspect, as well. For kids who are glued to a screen are kids who are not being physically active. The glut of electronic media and gadgets encourages sedentary behavior. In fact, the more screen time a child has, the more likely it is that he or she will become obese. Some estimates suggest that the incidence of obesity rises 6% for every hour a child spends in front of a screen.
Of course, screen time isn’t the only factor in determining obesity, but considering how childhood obesity rates have skyrocketed through the period in which computers and gadgetry have become ubiquitous, we may assume that, in addition to dietary changes, it’s a major factor. According to NHANES data reported on the CDC website, from 1976 to 1980, the obesity rate for children was between 5 and 6.5%. Today, the rates are over 12% for the youngest cohort (ages 2 through 5) and over 17% for remaining groups up to the age of 19, and even higher for Latinos and African-Americans. Type 2 diabetes, once so rarely seen in children that it was called “adult onset diabetes,” is being diagnosed at ever increasing rates in children, and it’s now predicted that today’s younger generations will be the first to not live as long as their parents.
Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama rolled out the program she’s spearheading to try to get our nation’s kids fit and healthy once again: Let’s Move!
Meeza 1/Flickr
Let’s Move aims “to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation” by encouraging physical activity; improving access to healthy, affordable food, including in the schools; and supporting parents in making healthy family choices. It will be interesting to see the results of this program, not just its effect on obesity rates and physical fitness, but also how it may impact kids’ academic achievement.
For it’s well-known that exercise, movement and play boost brain power and mood, and also support the development of positive social and emotional skills. Amongst some of the more telling findings, which we discuss in our book Yoga Calm for Children:
- Many studies have shown that the greatest yield of nerve growth factors happens when the body engages in complex movement patterns (Ratey, 2003).
- Movement and play develop the sensory-motor intelligence that supports intellectual, social, and personal development (Ayres, 2005).
- Higher levels of fitness are associated with higher academic achievement (California DOE, 2002).
- Exercise is really for the brain…It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being (Ratey, 2001).
More of the strong ties between physical activity, good nutrition and academic preparedness and achievement are spelled out in this excellent handout (PDF) from the Minneapolis Public Schools on “The Relationship Between Student Health and Learning.”
What’s more, there’s some evidence that obesity itself may be a drag on academic achievement. For instance, a recent study by Jimmy Byrd, “The Impact of Physical Activity and Obesity on Academic Achievement,” showed that
students that maintained a higher level of physical activity maintained higher grades and learned at a faster rate than those students who were less physically active. Conversely, a negative relationship was observed between obesity, as rated by the BMI, and academic achievement. In other words, obese students performed below their more physically fit counterparts regarding academic achievement.
Of course, the question still remains: in the school environment in particular, where testing mandates and budget cuts have led to the slashing of physical education courses and extracurricular sports programs, how can one create opportunities for kids to get the exercise they need – the minimum 30 minutes a day (though some experts like John Ratey suggest that 2 hours is ideal and 1 hour, the minimum for maximum benefit to the brain)?
This real-world need is one of the reasons we designed Yoga Calm as we did – to make it adaptable to the needs and realities of present day conditions and expectations in our nation’s schools. The physical activities can be done in the classroom without special equipment or extra space, and are easily integrated with academic class plans. We offer sample ideas for doing this on the activity sheets in our book, and our workshop participants are encouraged to devise and share their own methods for integrating Yoga Calm with academic lessons.
By integrating physical, mental/emotional and cognitive properties within each activity, Yoga Calm becomes a positive and comprehensive way to support children’s health and wellness, body and brain and mind.
sean dreilinger/Flickr
In our book Yoga Calm for Children: Educating Heart, Mind, and Body we write:
When we rest, the body heals and the mind and body integrate experiences. Rest allows us to reflect on the day and notice the effects of our activities on our emotions, mind, and body. In rest, free of distractions and stimulation, we are able to dream, to imagine, to work on solutions to our daily lives.
Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, can negatively affect mental performance, muscle control, and mood. Furthermore, strong, mounting evidence indicates that lost or damaged sleep is associated with serious long-term health problems including heart disease, diabetes, viral infection, cancer, depression, and substance abuse.
Adequate sleep and rest are important not only for growing bodies but also for mental development and emotional health. Scientists believe that sleep helps to weave disparate, emotionally fragmented, or weakly coupled memories together into coherent structures that the brain can then use more effectively during wakefulness. The more complex the physical or mental experience, the more important sleep is for efficiently integrating and remembering the experience.
Sleep deprivation is a significant yet often hidden health issue. In Healing Night,
Rubin R. Naiman notes that, in recent years, the amount of sleep adolescents get has been reduced by two or more hours a night. (According to the National Sleep Foundation, school age children need 10 to 11 hours nightly for good health, with teens needing 9 1/4 hours.) This affects children’s health on many levels. For example, a lack of sleep often results in increased consumption of high calorie foods and caffeinated products, which can trigger behavior problems and mental health conditions like ADHD.
Good sleep is important for adults, too – and for the same physiological and psychological reasons. But when it comes to the hows, many of us are stumped.
So here are 10 tips for getting better sleep:
- Relax before retiring. Take some time for a pre-sleep ritual to break the connection between stress and bedtime. Listen to some calming music. Meditate. Read a bit. Do some light stretching. Try some lavender aromatherapy or a hot bath. But remember, TV watching and bright lights can interfere with our bodies’ natural release of melatonin – the hormone that helps us to fall asleep.
- Make the routine routine. Go to bed around the same time every night. Your body will learn that time is bedtime and relax accordingly, especially if a regular bedtime is in conjunction with some relaxation ritual as described above.
- Remember the purpose of the bed. Avoid TV, reading, eating and emotional discussions while in bed. The mind and body associate bedtime activities with being in bed. So don’t let a bad habit keep you awake.
- Eat right and sleep tight. Avoid eating a large meal just bed bedtime or going to bed hungry. It’s about balance. Also, when possible, opt for foods that promote sleep, such as milk, tuna, pumpkin, artichokes, avocados, almonds, eggs, peaches, walnut, apricots, oats, asparagus, potatoes and bananas.
- Watch the caffeine. Coffee, most sodas and many teas contain caffeine and may keep you up. If you’ve already had too much, consider eating some carbohydrates like bread or crackers to counter the effects. Adults should also watch alcohol intake, for although it may help you fall asleep, it can also cause sleep-disturbing nightmares, sweats and headaches as your body clears the alcohol from your system.
- No drinks after 8 p.m. To enjoy sleep uninterrupted by bathroom breaks, shut down your fluid intake early.
- Exercise at the right time. Regular exercise relieves stress and encourages good sleep. However, if a little exercise really gets your blood pumping, you’d be wise to avoid working out in the evening or just before bedtime.
- Cut down on noise, light and extreme temperatures. Try earplugs, a night light, an eye mask or drape clip. The best temperature for sleep is 68° to 72°F.
- Understand jet lag. A few days before you cross time zones, try waking up later or earlier as needed, to help your body adjust to the time difference. It takes a few days for your body to fully adjust.
- Nap smart. A 20 minute power nap early in the day can really refresh you. But sleep too much, and you may spend the night staring at the ceiling.
For a recent Yoga Calm workshop, school counselor Bonnie Cannon wrote an insightful commentary on her developing awareness of yoga as self-study and how this may benefit the children she works with. We asked if we could share her good words on our blog. We were happy to hear, “Yes.” Thanks, Bonnie!
The primary understanding that I took away from this weekend workshop, which I had not recognized before, was that yoga is self-study.
I had been teaching students poses, facilitating games and guiding discussions designed to elicit understandings and connections on a theoretical level, and the students had been responding positively. But I realized during this workshop that the teaching could be more powerful and more effective by helping students to connect, explore and understand their physical experiences as well.
With that in mind, I will now be asking more experiential questions: “How did that feel?” rather than, “What can we learn from that?” Most students are encouraged to spend an inordinate amount of time in their heads during the school day, and very little attention is paid to what is happening in their bodies. In fact, often they are expected to ignore or suppress what is happening in their bodies.
But our bodies, our feelings, and our thoughts are intricately connected, and students will be most successful if we can provide a balanced educational experience that encourages them to understand what is happening in their bodies, how that affects what they are feeling, how that in turn affects what they are thinking, and how all of that affects their ability to learn and retain information presented in the classroom.
Students are not taught in a vacuum. A student who is experiencing high levels of chronic stress will not be able to attend to, retain and recall information as well as a student who is able to recognize stress in the body and release it.
The self-study focus of yoga and Yoga Calm helps students to better understand and recognize what is happening in their bodies so that they will be able to make decisions and take actions that benefit their bodies and maximize their ability to learn and reach their full potential. This can happen in targeted, direct ways such as learning to recognize when the body is hungry and the effects different foods have on it, and learning to fuel the body for optimum performance. It can also happen in less tangible ways such as experiencing the good feelings that come with giving and receiving a compliment or support during a task, and then continuing to compliment or support others, thereby increasing ones own confidence, self-esteem and serotonin levels, as well as creating a more positive, cooperative learning environment, all of which will ultimately lead to increases in academic performance.”
Read more on this topic here.
