| There's a new trend in your kids' classrooms | | | | show the kids and read aloud the step-by-step |
| nowadays. Instead of staring at the board in | | | | instructions written on the back of the flashcards. |
| front, the kids are lying on the floor near their | | | | Aside from incorporating yoga into their lesson |
| desks practicing yoga. According to fourth-grade | | | | plans, physical education classes have incorporated |
| teacher Elisabeth Beckwith, she wanted her | | | | the practice throughout the day to instill discipline. |
| students at Fernbank Elementary School in | | | | If you say you're going to do yoga with the kids, |
| Decatur, Georgia, to pay attention to a lesson on | | | | they just immediately start focusing.said PE |
| Greek mythology. Linking the symbols of Greek | | | | teacher Katie Bashor. |
| gods to yoga poses, such as dog position and the | | | | Deep breathing and basic yoga are taught to the |
| stork pose, Beckwith has high hopes that the | | | | students at their desks, from kindergarten |
| students will better retain the material and be | | | | through fifth grade, in order to cope with stress |
| re-energized in the middle of the day. It's a fun | | | | and anxiety that may occur before taking tests. |
| way for them to think about things,Beckwith said. | | | | School guidance counselor June Neal isn't bothered |
| You know, it's healthy for them because they're | | | | about criticism that may be hurled at the school |
| getting the breathing right and getting the | | | | for taking away precious time from studying and |
| stretching right. | | | | learning to be spent on stretching and |
| It's fun, said nine-year old Jack Besser. It gets out | | | | meditation. Neal believes that there's more to |
| the cramps after you've been sitting for an hour. | | | | elementary school that just reading, writing, and |
| Another pupil, Medha Prakash, said that the yoga | | | | arithmetic. He has seen a measurable difference |
| drills help her to concentrate. It makes me feel | | | | among the students, such as an improvement in |
| calm, relaxed and it gets all the stress out of me. | | | | test scores and test-taking skills due to a |
| Just like adults, even children can be under a lot of | | | | decrease in stress level after yoga routines. Neil |
| stress. The numerous school activities, | | | | added, You do need some down time... you do |
| peer-pressure, and homework can cause kids to | | | | need some way to express yourself and to |
| feel some stress. Teaching Yoga to children can | | | | reduce anxiety that comes along with being in |
| help them develop better body awareness, | | | | school. |
| self-control, flexibility, and coordination. Such skills | | | | According to Dr. Andrew Weil, anxiety and stress |
| can even be carried beyond class and into their | | | | are some of the biggest reasons why young |
| daily routines. | | | | students get sick at the start of the fall |
| Two years ago, Beckwith started offering yoga in | | | | semester. I think parents underestimate how |
| the classroom. with the help of other teachers at | | | | stressful going back to school is, he said. I think |
| the suburban Atlanta public school. YogaKids | | | | it's as stressful as a grown-up starting a new job. |
| International, an Indiana-based company, gives | | | | Weil believes that stressed-out kids may complain |
| them instructions and distributes teaching | | | | of stomach pain or a headache instead of dealing |
| materials to more than 50 schools around the | | | | with a stressful situation at school. He |
| country. These materials are large flash cards | | | | recommends training children to do simple |
| with kid-friendly poses that are easy for the | | | | deep-breathing techniques, just as adults do, to |
| students to imitate. Teachers hole them up to | | | | help with stress management. |