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More research needs to be conducted to design and measure the effectiveness of long-term school-based yoga programs.

Investigation into considerations for safety and accessibility of these programs for students with exceptionalities must also be conducted

Incorporating a yoga program in your classroom will likely greatly benefit your students

Yoga may be an effective way to integrate mindfulness with daily physical activity (DPA) requirements (requires little to no equipment, takes up limited space)

Yoga may also improve student performance for academic tasks by improving their fine motor skills and spatial memory

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http://www.yoga4classrooms.com/about-yoga-4-classrooms
Yoga 4 Classrooms is a low-cost, simple, effective, and sustainable school program, grounded in mind-body practices and addressing the whole child by fostering students' physical and psychological well-being.

http://hlfinc.org/programs-services/urban-youth-yoga-mindfulness-training/
The Holistic Life Foundation has more than a decade of experience teaching yoga and mindfulness to youth classified as “high-risk” or “hard-to-reach” in urban environments, and has developed a unique blend of yoga, mindfulness, tai chi, and other self-healing arts.

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Galantino, M. L., Galbavy, R., & Quinn, L. (2008). Therapeutic effects of yoga for children: a systematic review of the literature. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 20(1), 66-80.

Mendelson, T., Greenberg, M. T., Dariotis, J. K., Gould, L. F., Rhoades, B. L., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a school-based mindfulness intervention for urban youth. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 38(7), 985-994.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2015). The Ontario curriculum grades 1‐8: Health and physical education. [Program of Studies]. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf

Weaver, L. L., & Darragh, A. R. (2015). Systematic review of yoga interventions for anxiety reduction among children and adolescents. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(6), 6906180070p1-6906180070p9.

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We do not use the body to get into a pose – we use the pose to get into our body.

Bernie Clarke, author of Yin Yoga

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Physical Health & Education Curriculum Connections

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Physical Health & Education Curriculum Connections

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Movement Competence
B1.1 perform a variety of static balances, using different body parts at different levels (p. 89)

Active Living
A2.1 participate in sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity for a minimum of twenty minutes a day (p. 165)

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asana

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dhyana

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pranayama

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A lot of research has been conducted on the benefits of yoga for children, but due to variability in sample sizes, measures, types of yoga practice, frequency and duration of intervention programs, and lack of long-term follow-up, further research is needed to understand the generalizability and effectiveness of school-based yoga programs, however, across all research, yoga has a generally positive impact on overall children's health and well-being (Galantino, Galbavy, & Quinn, 2008; Mendelson, Greenberg, Dariotis, Gould, Rhoades, & Leaf, 2010; Weaver & Darragh, 2015).

Three specific areas of note that relate to the Ontario Ministry of Education's Health and Physical Education Curriculum (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015) are:
1. Improves Self-Regulation Living Skills
2. Reduces Anxiety Healthy Living
3. Improves Physical Fitness Active Living & Movement Competence

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Yoga improves muscle strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular performance (Galantino et al., 2008, p. 66).

How?

Improves static gross and fine-motor performance

Improves sensory and peripheral perception

Improves hand grip strength

Improves skeletal muscular endurance

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Physical Health & Education Curriculum Connections

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Physical Health & Education Curriculum Connections

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Healthy Living
Substance Use, Addictions, and Related Behaviours
Primary
C3.2 identify habits and behaviours that can be detrimental to health an explain how people can adopt healthier alternatives (p. 95)
Junior/Intermediate
C1.2 demonstrate an understanding of the linkages between mental health problems and problematic substance abuse, and identify community resources that can offer support (p. 195)

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Yoga has been found to be effective in reducing anxiety or anxiety-related behaviours and symptoms in children and youth (Mendelson et al., 2010; Weaver & Darragh, 2015). .

How?

Decreases involuntary engagement of stress response

Decreases breathing rate

Decreases rumination on negative thoughts

Decreases emotional arousal

Improves self-concept

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Physical Health & Education Curriculum Connections

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Physical Health & Education Curriculum Connections

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Living Skills
Personal Skills
1.1 use self-awareness and self-monitoring skills
1.2 use adaptive, management, and coping skills (p. 24)

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Yoga improves overall health and well-being of students primarily through enhancing self-regulatory capacity (Mendelson et al., 2010, p. 991).

How?

Decreases "fight or flight" involuntary stress response (sympathetic)

Increases "rest and digest" parasympathetic activation

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Yoga is a combined practice of physical postures, controlled breathing, and meditation (Weaver & Darragh, 2015, p.7).