Reflecting
I have been loving this yoga inquiry. I love the classes, I’ve found it really nice to have a section of time devoted to yoga each week. Having a class made it easier to keep up with this inquiry assignment, and I am so grateful for this assignment and the opportunity to explore something really hands on that we can one day incorporate into teaching.
I have tried six different classes during this inquiry and while I have enjoyed most of them, I don’t always love the class or the instructor, so I will keep that in mind when trying to introduce yoga into my classroom because not every aspect will work for every student. Mostly though I have found that there is always something about the class I enjoy, whether it’s the movement, the calm vibe of the class, the way the instructor cues/teaches or some other aspect they’ve included in their practice.
Thinking Forward
In doing this inquiry, I have discovered there are many different aspects of yoga. Through practice and research, I believe the most general concept of yoga is the combination of movement and breathing. My biggest concern with any part of teaching is that the plan won’t work for the students. I would love to have students try yoga and because it involves movement, I think it will be possible to get students to buy into it.
I think using games to introduce yoga will be a great way to get students excited about it. As well though, because I plan to use this as a calm down post lunch/recess then games won’t always be the right fit as it might rile them up more. So a combination of game playing with yoga and regulation practice will be how I include this in teaching.
It would be great to be able to use these experiences in teaching and I plan to continue on with yoga!
Hot Lava (Yoga): Arrange yoga mats in a circle, students will play musical chairs but with yoga cards! While music is playing, students must move in a circle over the mats, when it stops they must find a mat and do whatever pose is on that mat. You can play with the right number of mats or do one less and the student that doesn’t get a mat will do a balance pose then just rejoin!
