Bringing the language of yoga to young minds to sharpen awareness, enhance concentration, and instil calm both on and off the mat.

Yoga Speaks is an initiative to introduce yoga to school aged children in London. Our aim is to work directly in schools and in the wider community to encourage inclusion, support diversity and share the powerful potential of yoga.

Objective: To support and strengthen school performance among young people by establishing a foundation of yoga and mindfulness practice, which will assist them in navigating the often uncertain and stressful terrain of their lives. The principles of yoga provide a framework for skilful living and therefore what is learned in these sessions will prove valuable both in the classroom and beyond.

Proposal: A series of sessions (these can vary in length) that each introduces a principle of yoga (eg balance, connection, calm) and a yoga practice. Sessions will always include breathing and relaxation techniques, which are the fundamental aspects of the practice. Students will be guided to consider how each principle applies both on the yoga mat and elsewhere in their lives.

Other offerings: Sessions can be fully tailored to accommodate your students and their needs. They can be held 1-1, in small or large groups, and the length can be adapted as required – from short 5-10 minute relaxation sessions to full 45-60 minute practices or longer interactive sessions.

Why yoga?

Physical: Yoga is widely proven to have many physical benefits. It improves flexibility, muscle strength, joint and cartilage health, posture, circulation, coordination, lymphatic drainage, and immunity. It lowers cortisol and balances the nervous system and blood pressure. It aids sleep, promotes healthy eating and a desire for self care, and contributes to a general sense of wellbeing.

Psychological: Through the non-competitive nature of yoga, self-acceptance and resilience are fostered. It enhances a sense of self-empowerment and self-esteem as one progresses and develops. Yoga cultivates body awareness and an understanding of our limitations, which enhances our capacity for compassion and respect.

Educational: Young people today are overstimulated and inattentive due to the innumerable distractions of modern living. Yoga improves focus and concentration, and encourages self regulation, which are imperative for academic performance and motivation.

Social: Those who relate well to themselves invariably relate better to others. Yoga is a practice of self-awareness and observation, which builds empathy and thus improves social skills, communication and confidence.

Special Educational Needs: SEN students tend to be in a higher state of anxiety than their peers due to their difficulty with language, learning and/or sensory integration, and thus their sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is constantly stimulated. Yoga encourages the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) which promotes a sense of calm and thereby enables focus to be given to the classroom and the work at hand. (The following page outlines several research studies into the benefits of yoga for young people with some specific research showing direct improvements for SEN students). 

Who am I?

I have been practising yoga for over ten years, and teaching for four. I am beginning a Masters degree in psychology this year and am intensely interested in the psychotherapeutic potential of a yoga and mindfulness practice in children and young adults. I came to yoga following my mother’s death, and have personally found it to be an invaluable tool for managing the effects of grief, bullying, anxiety and insecurity. I passionately believe that the earlier we can make young people aware of yoga, the sooner we can give them the tools to help them deal with the pressures of the classroom and life at large.  

Research Studies

A growing body of research suggests that a yoga and mindfulness practice can be extremely advantageous in the development of children. Alarmingly, mental health problems affect 1 in 10 children and young people. They include depression, anxiety and conduct disorders and are most commonly a direct response to what is happening in their lives. Sadly, 70% of children who experience mental health disorders do not have sufficient intervention, and with the increasing pressures of life the affected figure rises to 1 in 4 in adulthood. Though of course it is not a panacea, I firmly believe that instilling a yoga and mindfulness practice in children can have a direct beneficial impact on their mental health and thus assist them in fulfilling their lifelong potential.

Below are a few related studies and their conclusions summarised:

Yoga’s potential for promoting healthy eating and physical activity behaviours among young adults: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-018-0674-4 Results from this study suggest that yoga shows promise as an intervention to improve the weight-related health of young adults through healthier eating patterns and physical activity

Implementing yoga within the school curriculum: a scientific rationale for improving social-emotional learning and positive student outcomes: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JCS-10-2014-0044 Research suggests that providing yoga within the school curriculum may be an effective way to help students develop self-regulation, mind-body awareness and physical fitness, which may, in turn, foster additional SEL competencies and positive student outcomes such as improved behaviours, mental state, health and performance.

Yoga for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being: Research Review and Reflections on the Mental Health Potentials of Yoga: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3980104/ From a social perspective, we anticipate that yoga can also transform people to be socially sensitive; hence, it may increase the likelihood of children and young people engaging in civic activities and shaping a better society. As stated, practicing yoga has the potential to improve the mental health of children and young people.

Effects of a classroom-based yoga intervention on cortisol and behaviour in second- and third-grade students: a pilot study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25412616 Results suggest that school-based yoga may be advantageous for stress management and behavior.

Yoga in school settings: a research review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26919395 These publications suggest that yoga in the school setting is a viable and potentially efficacious strategy for improving child and adolescent health and therefore worthy of continued research.

Mindfulness Meditation May Lessen Anxiety, Promote Social Skills, and Improve Academic Performance Among Adolescents With Learning Disabilities: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1533210107311624 All outcome measures showed significant improvement, with participants who completed the program demonstrating decreased state and trait anxiety, enhanced social skills, and improved academic performance.  

Feasibility and efficacy of yoga as an add-on intervention in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: An exploratory study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768216/ A total of 9 children were recruited into the study. All, but one were on medications. An average of 8 yoga training sessions was given to subjects. They were able to learn yoga reasonably well. There was a significant improvement in the ADHD symptoms as assessed on CARS (P-0.014), ADHD-RS IV (P=0.021) and CGI- S scales (P=0.004) at the time of discharge.