Best Practices for Yoga in Schools

Book excerpt: Are you interested in offering students in your school the most effective, sustainable and inclusive yoga programming possible? Would you like to teach yoga in schools and have the support and advice of those with many years of successful experience? Have you been interested in sharing yoga with your students, but wondering how to do so safely? Best Practices for Yoga in Schools is a guide for yoga teachers, classroom teachers, school administrators, social workers, and anyone else interested in bringing yoga to children safely, and in a just and inclusive way. By outlining suggestions and considerations across a wide variety of topics, this book will help you effectively and sustainably offer high-quality yoga programming for all children. Based on the collective wisdom and experience of 23 contributors and four reviewers, this Best Practices Guide will support your capacity to implement meaningful school-based yoga programs, with the potential to transform the educational environment and help students thrive in a wide variety of situations. Praise For Best Practices for Yoga in Schools "The Yoga Service Best Practices Guide is an invaluable resource for educators bringing yoga into school settings to promote positive student outcomes. Drawing upon what we know about child development and developmentally appropriate practice, the book offers clear guidance on how best to teach yoga to children and teens in school settings. I highly recommend this book." - Patricia Jennings, Professor at UVA Curry School of Education, author of Mindfulness for Teachers "This is a remarkable effort; a sage, inspiring, pragmatic and well presented manual of best practices for every one seeking to provide "safe, effective, inclusive, and sustainable" yoga classes in schools. The collective wisdom and experience is immediately apparent." - John Kepner, Executive Director: International Association of Yoga Therapists "This is a thoughtful, well researched guide that should be an essential read for anyone wanting to bring yoga to schools. I'm so excited that the Yoga Service Council has been able to create a resource of this caliber using a collaborative model that leaves room for individual styles and philosophies. This is exactly what the field of yoga service needs- agreed upon best practices that unify all the great work already being done." - Hala Khouri, M.A. E-RYT, Co-founder Off the Mat, Into the World, Somatic Counselor, Yoga Teacher and Mother "As a principal and superintendent I have implemented yoga programs in urban and suburban schools and have witnessed the success with students of all ages. Academics increase and off task behavior decreases with every yoga breath students take. Best Practices for Yoga in Schools is a great resource to start a yoga program in your school." - Cynthia Zurchin, Superintendent of Schools, author of The Whale Done School