Yoga & Mindfulness
I am excited to continue to bring Challenge to Change into the middle school this year! I will be teaching Challenge to Change lessons twice a day. We look forward to giving more students the opportunity to experience the benefits of yoga.
Social-Emotional Learning Competencies will be used to provide lessons in yoga. There are 5 SEL Competencies at the 6-8 level:
Self-Awareness is the ability to accurately recognize one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. It is the ability to accurately assess one's strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a "growth mindset". There are 3 Learning Targets within this competency: Identifying Emotions, Accurate Self Perception, and Self-Confidence.
Self-Management includes regulating one's emotions, stress management, self-control, self-motivation, and setting and achieving goals. There are 5 Learning Targets within this competency: Impulse Control, Stress Management, Self-Discipline and Self-Motivation, Goal Setting, and Organizational Skills.
Social Awareness connotes perspective-taking; empathy; respecting diversity; understanding social and ethical norms of behavior; and recognizing family, school, and community supports. There are 3 Learning Targets within this competency: Perspective Taking and Empathy, Appreciating Diversity and Respect for Others, and Civic Engagement.
Relationship Skills connote building relationships with diverse individuals and groups, communicating clearly, working cooperatively, resolving conflicts, and seeking help. There are 4 Learning Targets within this competency: Communication, Social Engagement, Relationship Building, and Teamwork.
Responsible Decision-Making refers to considering the well-being of self and others; recognizing one's responsibility to behave ethically; basing decisions on safety, social, and ethical considerations; evaluating realistic consequences of various actions; and making constructive, safe choices for self, relationships, and school. There are 4 Learning Targets within this competency: Identifying Problems, Analyzing Situations and Solving Problems, Evaluating and Reflecting, and Ethical Responsibility.
Benefits of Yoga for Kids/Teens
~Strength, flexibility and balance ~ Creativity and imagination
~Concentration, focus and attention ~Awareness of breath
~Inner strength and body awareness ~Relaxation and self-control
~Confidence and self-esteem ~Feeling of well-being and respect for others
The 3 Aspects of Yoga
The Physical Aspect: harmonize the body and become aware of the different types of imbalances, within the physical structure, which cause various types of stress and tension.
The aim is to eliminate this imbalance, by prescribing various postures.
The Mental Aspect: the most important area; form of psychotherapy; The whole process eventually deals with knowing, understanding, and realizing the mind.
Relaxation- In order to relax, one should have the ability to disassociate from one's thoughts, feelings, emotions, and expressions
Concentration- focusing the dissipated energies of the mind; and when these dissipated energies are focused, the resulting concentrated awareness becomes willpower.
The Spiritual Aspect: defined as experiencing the energy--the driving force, the motivation--behind every action and experience in life
