Bihar Yoga at one Primary school in Christchurch 

(Names of the school and participants have been changed)

Background

In February 2014 I was invited to teach yoga for students at Mainland Primary school (State funded, coeducational, primary school). I taught yoga for children between 5 and 8 years old during the whole Term 1. The classes were based on the guides and suggestions of the books, "Yoga in Education" and "Yoga for children” (V. 1 & 2) of Bihar School of Yoga (BSY). Accordingly, the classes were organised based on stories using children´s imagination to frame the story-class each time, and adapting to student´s ages. Each session for children included:

·      Asanas based on a story, or on animals

·      Breathing, awareness of natural breath, and bhramari pranayama

·      Yoganidra, 10 minutes, basic awareness of body and visualisation

The school facilitated a room, cleared of furniture. The teachers brought photos of the animals that were invoked in the stories suggested for each class.

In all the sessions the children took off their shoes and entered the room with an attitude of respect, sometimes in silence, but it was spontaneous in them. It was as if they perceived that space was "different". They always participated accompanied by their teachers. The children participated enthusiastically, they appropriated the instructions, they enjoyed singing om at the beginning and end of the class.

The teachers noticed from the beginning, the reassuring effect of yoga on children. Also, teachers noted student´s adaptability to adopting the different animal postures, participating in the suggested stories, or be quiet and in silence. Sometimes teachers mentioned specific students who were usually restless, and yet, were actively involved during the yoga lessons and kept still and quieted during yoganidra.

Teachers chose to be observers and provided relevant feedback. At the end of the school term (Term 1), I suggested the continuation of the lessons; however this was not foreseen in the school curriculum. The teacher who had contacted me at first suggested that we offer yoga classes for the teachers of the school. Hence, yoga for teachers started.

The experience: Yoga for teachers

Between 2015 and 2018, I have taught classes for groups of teachers of Mairehau Primary School.

One teacher who had previous experience with yoga (ashtanga yoga and hot yoga) was the initiator of the idea of yoga for the teachers od the school. Little by little, she became pivotal in the process, centralising communication between the teachers and the yoga instructor, and advocating for yoga for teachers. She was critical in our group being able to use the school library each week.

We started with a group of 7 teachers. From that initial group, 2 teachers remained constant over 3 years. Other teachers participated for periods of 6 months to a year. The highest number of participants was 10 in 2017. In 3 years, teachers changed for different reasons: 

-    Health problems of a family member (T.); 

-    Withdrawal from school (V.);

-    Pregnancy (K.), and

-    Found yoga classes very close to home (A.).

What do we do?

Yoga sessions take place in the school library. It is a place with carpet and heating. We have tried other spaces, but the library is still the most comfortable. The furniture is removed, and we get empty and safe space. The sessions last 60 minutes on average. Sessions organised as a traditional BSY class:

·      Asanas         (PMW 1,2,3, Surya Namaskara, TTK, Balance, Vrjrasana, Marjariasana.);

·      Pranayama     (natural breath, yogic breath, Brhamari, Ujjaji, Nadi shodhana);

·      Yoganidra     (sankalpa, body awareness, opposites, visualisation);

·      Kaya sthairyam     (if time available), and

·      "Practice at home". This year we started with "PAH", which consists of equalising the duration of inhalation and exhalation at any time of the day, at least once.

Each teacher brings her yoga mat and a blanket. The teachers arrive in comfortable clothes. Sometimes some of them forget some of these elements, but it has never been the case that they stop participating for these reasons. We make the class adaptable to that situation

In School Term 3 of 2016, Gyananidhi and Karmavidya offered one-day yoga retreat for the group for teachers. The retreat was an opportunity for teachers to think about “yoga as a lifestyle”. SWAN was proposed as a tool to gain self-awareness. Also, the concept and practice of SANKALPA was explained in-depth.

Lessons Learned

Taking yoga to schools requires to start with the teachers, ensure that they have the experience and see in themselves the benefits.

Little by little teachers gained the confidence to structure their own yoga in the classroom. They aimed to introduce children to body and breath awareness. Also, the teachers proposed asanas into the day-to-day of their work with students, as opposed to “offering yoga classes” in the school timetable.

What we have achieved is that yoga is knowledge based on the experience that the teachers already have. Such experience allows them to adopt some yoga principles and some yoga practices to their daily work.

It is essential that the yoga teacher (karmavidya) adapts to the demanding conditions of a school teacher's life. Many times unexpected staff meetings occurred, or meetings with parents extend beyond what was planned. Other times, the library was busy. In all those situations we adapted and carried on with a positive outlook.

Over time, some staff at school got to know us, and they were supportive and respectful.   For example, the receptionist, the librarian, the cleaning contractors, and the janitor / carer were respectful and supportive. At the beginning of the classes in the library, the janitor was there to keep the big bins where the lost & found is left, and the large bulletin board with noisy wheels. Over time, he understood that we like silence, and he tries to do it before starting the class so as not to interrupt us.

Examples of the benefits teachers observe in themselves:

Before starting each yoga session, teachers usually shared what they have perceived as resulting from their yoga practice. There is a wealth of experience that needs to be recorded systematically. Some key ideas that the teachers shared:

1. Changes in how they breathe. Some teachers explained that their breathing is more extended and more profound. For example, the teacher Jenny explained, “When I am in a room with more people sitting by my side, I hear them breath faster, more superficially, instead I watch myself breathing more slowly, deeply and silently”.

2. Breathing awareness help to manage demanding situations. For example, teacher Joy explained that she attended a medical test and was anxious. She used ujjaji pranayama, and she was more calm, able to finalise the tests.

3. The physical body is becoming more flexible. For example, the teacher Valerie explained that in general, her body is stiff and sore. She explained that she has been practising pawanmuktasana 1 at home to make her joints more flexible. 

4. Enduring the pressure and stress of teaching. For example teachers, Valerie and Andrea explained that "they could not get to Friday without their yoga class" (classes have been taught Wednesdays or Thursdays)

Examples of how teachers have introduced yoga in the classroom: 

·      Stillness and breathing at the beginning of classes, or coming back from short/long break. 

·      Asanas during different times of the day, for example, cat pose, TTK

·      Teach the basic posture of meditation in lotus flower and mudra.

·      Use flashcards with yoga asanas that they made or adapted

·      Yoga club at school to begin Term 3 the school year 2018   

Sustainability

The idea to bring yoga to the teachers of the school emerged as the aim and intention of a group of teachers. However, an alternative for a next step might to be pursuing a school-wide approach.