Reasearch on Yoga Education in Schools

Satyananda Yoga Centre has started a research on the effects of yoga on children of classes 10th & 12th in schools in Chennai affiliated to the CBSE.

How it Began!

The mother of a child from DAV school visited me at my office & explained that her child had difficulty in attention and was also hyper active. She suggested that she would speak to the Principal of the school & arrange for a meeting.

In 2006, I had a couple of meetings with Smt.Lalitha Chandrasekharan, Principal of the School. We decided on the program for the school. She suggested I also meet the Head Mistress of the School, Smt.Jayashree Pillai.

I knew Smt.Jayashree Pillai, I was her student in the same school, one among the notorious students she had hard time to deal with. When I walked into her cabin, she was shocked to see me there. However when I explained that I had been requested by the school to conduct yoga classes, she was taken by surprise.

Smt.Jayashree Pillai took a long time to recover from her surprise. She was keen to know how I got into yoga; she was of course completely convinced that Yoga had the power to transform people; after seeing me as I am now.

Now she decided to personally choose children from the 4th & 5th classes, all the boys who were having difficulty in being attentive, who were always causing some trouble or the other - My kind of lot. She asked me to work with them & it was great fun working with them.

In the Yoga class for boys of 4th & 5th, in the first few sessions these boys were bringing sweat out of the yoga teachers from our centre. However as days passed; one day when Smt.Jayashree Pillai was on her inspection rounds in the school, she crossed over the hall where we were conducting a yoga session for the 4th & 5th boys. She could not believe the silence & the harmony that had filled into the space.

The resourcefulness of a yoga teacher was playing its tunes in the class. The boys were participating in all the activities with joy & willingness. It gave them a lot of hope & at the end of the year DAV school decided that they will continue yoga over the next years.

During the next year 2007-2008 we conducted classes for children of 10th & +2 for those who opted. In 4th to 9th all children who opted for it attended classes. The year passed with the understanding that yoga is something that has to be given as part of the schooling activities.

The Principal, teachers and even Shri.Jayadev, Founder Secretary of the group of schools was keen to introduce it into the school every year.

From 2007 onwards the school decided to make yoga as a part of all the children of the 10th & +2 classes. We introduced a log book to all the students and involved their parents, teachers and Principal in validating the correctness of the entries.

We could see some clear direction in the improvement of the performance of the children.

You can see in the statistical analysis of the school - Science group; The percentage of children who were able to score above 95% has moved to 30% instead of 5% & the children getting between 90% to 94% came down to about 25 % & there was no who scored less than 80%.

• Performance of more than 50% of children who were at 90 to 94% had improved
• Performance of all children who were getting above 60% moved to more than 80%

Conclusion

We had to conclude that with the introduction of yoga into the school there was a defenite change in the ability, personality of children. We also realized that they had become more confident than ever before.

Scientific Study

We decided that we will do a scientific research amongst children of 10th & +2 of CBSE schools in Chennai.

The criteria for observation was

1. Intelligence
2. Memory
3. Stress
4. Self Confidence
5. Menarche

One round of collection of data and interpretation & scoring of data has been completed so far. We will be completing the second round of collecting data during the end of this academic year. The actual details of the research will be shared with the educationists in India.

The following link shows some of the photographs of the events, activities and initiatives.

1.) http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sycchennai/SwamiNiranjanSVisitToDAVSchoolChennai?authkey=Gv1sRgCKC9j8Oc366w_QE#

2.) http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sycchennai/DiscoveryOfHumanPotential?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD9qsnN1ebOkQE#

3.)http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sycchennai/ChildrenYogaFestival?authkey=Gv1sRgCO7yq_OJr7GAMg#

Symposium Postponed!

Since Swami Niranjananda Saraswati is preoccupied with major events comming up at this time of the year in Rikhia ashram & Ganga Darshan we have been informed that the Symposium can be conducted on a later date & is deferred for the time being.

We will inform everyone concerned about this once we have news to share.

Om Tat Sat

Agenda of the Symposium

Symposium on “Yoga Education in Schools” will be conducted by
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.

The symposium will feature

o Lectures
o Practice of Asanas & Pranayama
o Meditation and relaxation practices
o Demonstrations
o Question answer session

It would be a rare opportunity for students and teachers of Chennai schools to listen to Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati and directly practice under his guidance.
Lectures

The lectures will revolve around

Need for Yoga education

Development of the hidden
potentials through Yoga
(Creativity, Concentration,
memory, courage and such
qualities)

The efficacy of the practices
The yogic method of self
transformation

Role of yoga teachers

Approach to yoga education
in schools

Research work happening in
this field all over the world
And much more……….

Asana & Pranayama

• The practice sessions will include
  simple asanas & breathing practices
  that children will enjoy learning and
  cherish practicing every day.
• Asanas and pranayama will be
  Demonstrated so that students and
  teachers can learn the proper method
  of practicing them.
• The asanas and pranayama suitable for
  students, which will work on their
  entire personality will be demonstrated

Meditation & Relaxation

During the meditation sessions students and teachers will get opportunity to take part in guided relaxation and guided meditation session that will be conducted by Swamiji himself.

Symposium on "Yoga Education In Schools", By Bihar School of Yoga

Educationist's Committee
Chairman
Shri.Jaidevji
Secretary
D.A.V. Group of Schools
Chennai

Members
Shri.E.P.G.Nambiar
Secretary General
Chinmaya Heritage Centre
Chennai

Shri.M.A.Selvaraj
Correspondent
Sir M.CT.Muthiah Group of Schools, Chennai

Shri.K.Rajmohan
Correspondent
M.A.Krishnaswamy Group of Schools, Chennai

Principals Committee

Smt.Lalitha Chandrasekharan
DAV Girls Sr Sec School, Gopalapuram

Smt.Lalitha Thiagarajan
DAV Boys Sr Sec School
Mogappair

Smt.M.P.Geetha
DAV Girls Sr Sec School
Mogappair

Shri.J.Ajeeth Prasath Jain
Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, Kilpauk

Smt.V.Gowri Lakshmi
Chinmaya Vidyalaya Secondary School, Anna Nagar

Shri.Sathiamoorthy.C
Chinmaya Vidyalaya
Kilpauk

Shri.S.Adhiappan
M.F.S.D. Hr Sec School
Sowcarpet

Dr.N.Saraswathi
The Children Garden Hr Sec School
Mylapore

Smt.Nirmala Sundaram
Reserve Bank Staff Quarters School
Besant Nagar

M.Varadarajan
G.S.S.Jain Vidyalaya
Vepery

Smt.P.V.Subba Lakshmi

Agarwal Vidyalaya

Vepery

Satyananda Yoga Education Charitable Trust (SYECT) in coordination with some of the schools in Chennai is organizing a grand Symposium on “Yoga Education in Schools”. The first announcement, dated 9th March, about the symposium, was sent to your school in March. The symposium will be conducted in three different venues in Chennai.

We cordially invite your school to participate in this unique event that will open new horizons in the field of education. The venue details are given below.

Date & Venue

20/08/2009 (Thursday)
9.00 am to 11.30 am

D.A.V Boys Sr Sec School
120 feet road, Mogappair,
Chennai – 600 050

21/08/2009 (Friday)
9.00 am to 11.30 am
(TO be finalized)

22/08/2009 (Sunday)
9.00 am to 11.30 am

Sir MCTM Higher Secondary School
23, Raja Annamalai Road, Purasaiwakkam, Chennai 84

We have decided to extend a special invitation to the schools in Chennai to actively participate in the symposium. You can send 10 children from your school along with one teacher. We have planned to provide opportunity to schools on first come first basis.

Education implies that the whole being should be educated. It should not merely be pumping students full of book knowledge which just floats on the surface of their intellects as oil floats on the surface of water.

People will have to be aware of their thought patterns, their opinions, their ideas and their emotions. This kind of education will not come by force because that would only be borrowed knowledge, not experience.

This real education has to be brought about from within, and one of the ways to accomplish this unfoldment is through YOGA

- Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Satyananda Yoga™ as it is popularly known all over the world; is a system of yoga developed by Swami Satyananda. In India & several countries Satyananda Yoga™ has been very effectively integrated into the school as part of the process of education. Several research projects conducted over the last decade have gone to prove that introduction of yoga to a child can help the child to develop their personality comprehensively.

Effects of Yoga on

The Mental aspect

• Improves concentration & memory
• Awakens & balances both hemispheres of brain
• Whole mind is clarified & refined

The Emotional aspect

• Makes one emotionally strong
• Positively influences behavior
• Vital & mental energy is balanced

The Physical Aspect

• Facilitates proper functioning of all organs & systems
• Promotes health
• Improves immune functionImproves stamina

The Creative Aspect

• Creativity dawns
• Intuition is awakened
• Improves imaginative thinking
• Higher mental functions manifest

A close study of the processes reveals that the Yoga tradition cannot be confined to only the physical or postural; it enters into a deeper engagement and exploration of the psychological and emotional domains.

If understood in its totality, Yoga can lead to valuable insights and be of great help in laying the foundation for lending a meaningful life.

CreativeExtensive research on intelligence shows that for too long our education has favored linguistic and mathematical intelligences, and most IQ tests are based on these aspects.

IN the Yoga tradition most of these intelligences are addressed and developed. There are several schools of Yoga, which though different in approach, have similar underlying assumptions

• Body and mind are connected; the health of one affects the other.
• Regular practices in the form of asana as well as relaxation are recommended for their revitalizing and tranquilizing effects on the system.
• Discipline starts at the level of the body soon moves to the mental aspects. The overall effect is an increase in the effectiveness of the individual in whatever she/he undertakes.
• Balance is important in all one does, neither indulgence nor deprivation.
• Development of healthy attitudes such as cleanliness and contentment.
• Psycho – mental work, through introspective and various meditative methods, with an aim of bringing about clarity of understanding and self awareness.
• Harmony with self, others and nature.

Symposium on Yoga Education in Schools by Bihar School of Yoga - Aug 2009

Yoga & Child

Child is God; We gradually contaminate them to become stunted adults with complexes & phobias.

Yoga is a great activity & opportunity for children to explore themselves and about life.

The conditionings of environment a child is born and lives in; can nurture or suffocate the genius in the child. When a child receives inputs of yoga in the tender years then the formation of the individuals self identity is correct.

Yoga for the child is a great nourishment. It has a complete understanding of the body, mind, the power that supports both. It goes further & has a deep insight into the subtler layers of existense.
Yoga looks at the whole existence in five progressively subtler layers. They are called in Yoga as "PANCHA KOSA".

Asana practices directly influnce the physical & vital layers of ones personality and indirectly influence the mental personality (Mano Maya Kosa).

Pranayama directly influences the vital personality (Prana Maya Kosa) & indirectly influences mano maya kosa.

Pratyahara direcly influences the mano maya kosa.

In Kathopanishad our body is compared to a chariot, we can take a car for a modern chariot. If a car has a very attractive & stylish body, painted spotlessly & decorated lavishly. How would it look like. Great! woudn't it?

But; let's say there is no engine or let's say there is no steering. What use will it be of? It is meaningless to have a handsome or cute looking appearance without any presence of mind or intelligence or vice versa.

"Contemporary methods of education allow parents to give all the necessary comforts of life to their children, but what they get in return is, at best a, degree holder and egoist, a beautiful polished but undisciplined animal"

-Swami Vibhooti Saraswati

There is a rush of insecurity amongst parents that their children should be successful in life. It is completely justified to feel like that, but due to a specific expectation from the child, there is a lot of tension and pressure created in the child's personality.

Instead of helping the child to look at within & know themselves, to discover their potentials, parents and our society thrusts forcefully certain type of knowledge and certain type of attitude, which can be totally opposite to the nature of the child.

Yoga works like a mirror. What will you do when you see your image in the mirror. In the first place you will look at your reflection & enjoy the beauty; wont you? Then you will see your appearance and if anything needs adjustment or correction, you will simply do the needful correction. It is as simple as that.

Yoga allows a child to know the strengths, weaknesses, attitudes, beliefs, patterns, the body, everything about themselves. It gives them very handy & powerful tools for self transformation.

In my opinion, a system of education which does not provide an opportunity for self understanding and self transformation is incomplete.

Yoga is such a great tradition, Satyananda Yoga Centre upholds this great tradition and will be more than willing to take all possible efforts to reach out to the children.

In this blog we can see a lot about Yoga for children. You are welcome to ask any questions relating to this topic and we will try to give you our response as early as possible in the form of an article.

Hari Om Tat Sat