More and more teachers dare to use yoga as a pedagogical tool that allows students to have a different disposition towards learning. This discipline, increasingly popular in the West, allows students to relax, enjoy themselves and reach a balance between spontaneity and structure. The improvement of concentration, respect for themselves, for the other and the environment, are other benefits of this discipline that many teachers rescue as an ideal instrument to complement learning processes.
However, yoga alternatives to apply in class there are many, therefore, the Yoga Edu project , has been responsible for sharing and explaining, through various actions, the benefits of yoga in school and the various alternatives that exist for children and teachers.
María José Fuentes, Instructor and Training Manager in Yoga Edu, shared with us four practical demonstrations (grouped into two yoga breaks) that children, parents and teachers will be able to experience that day:
Yoga break to start the day (5 minutes)
A pause activate the body at the beginning of the day. Particularly the column, axis that supports our entire body.
1. Mountain
Stand up, firm and stable, with your arms by your side and your feet separated by the width of your hips. Take your gaze to a fixed point. In posture, bring your shoulders up when you inhale and when you exhale, rotate them back and down. The weight increases on the soles of the feet, anchoring you to the ground.
2. Crescent moon
In the position of the Mountain, take your arms by the side, upwards and join your hands on your head. Relax your shoulders and move them away from your ears. Exhale by bringing arms and trunk to the side, stretching the opposite side. Go back to the center inhaling, and exhaling, let yourself fall to the other side.
3. Waterfall
In the position of the Mountain, inhaling, carry arms in front, up and slightly back. Exhaling brings the arms and trunk down. The arms continue back and up, behind your back. Repeat this sequence 3 times in a dynamic way, paying attention to the movement of your spine and your breathing.
Yoga break to focus (1 to 2 minutes)
To focus children quickly before an evaluation, this break of only 1 or 2 minutes is ideal.
1. Bee (breathing exercise)
This breathing exercise allows you to connect the person with what is happening inside, focus and give a new perspective, especially in times of stress.
You can perform both standing and sitting, but the important thing is to keep the spine upright. With the index fingers they cover their ears, take a deep inhalation through the nose and then exhale making the buzzing sound of a bee. All attention is placed on the vibration that is generated inside the head, which allows a sense of calm and introspection. It can be repeated 3 times.