For my free inquiry project, I chose to explore yoga. I’m curious about the link between mental health and yoga – physical activity in general is beneficial for mental health but how yoga specifically seems to combine the body and mind. I am going to aim to do one class a week at the Mountain Life studio, two if I have time. I want to see how I progress doing the same class every week, starting out as a beginner, and hopefully trying a few new classes as well. I will then reflect on the classes each week – how it’s going and how I could potentially incorporate the concepts into my practice as a teacher.
I think it could be beneficial in the classroom to teach kids about slow controlled body movements and to be aware of their breathing (at whatever level the kids may be at). I have worked in kindergarten and grade one classes where teachers use something similar to yoga – but with language you would use with a child, like pretend your body is an ice cube and its slowly melting in the sun – as a calm down strategy for children after playing outside at lunch, and in the classes I’ve seen, it can be very effective. It really calms the kids down and seems to help them be more aware of their bodies.
