The social-emotional considerations for students are taking precedence. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as “the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions; set and achieve positive goals; feel and show empathy for others; establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions”.
According to CASEL, there are five major skills that help children navigate through rough times, but the question is: how do we teach these skills to the kids? The answer is: the YOGA MAT. The practice of yoga helps build the social emotional side of children as well as of adults. These are the aptitudes that one gains from practicing yoga regularly:
- Self-management: the ability to manage oneself. In yoga as we learn to take deep, long and purposeful breaths, we are able to manage ourselves appropriately because our nervous system is calm, quiet and relaxed. To make it fun and catchy for children, breathing techniques are taught as games and with captivating names such as “bunny breaths”.
- Self-awareness: the ability to understand how one is feeling in the present moment and to name the emotion without labeling it as “good” or “bad”. Once the emotion has been identified, the person then must be able to work through calming down, unsettling and difficult circumstances. Children who practice yoga are given the opportunity to experience these emotions through the practice of asanas (poses). They are given several variations to place their bodies in the position that feels better and more comfortable to them and, in the process, they experience less comfortable poses too.
- Social-awareness: is the ability to perceive the environment and the social interaction happening around us. Being able to read body language, tone of voice and gestures help us to infer how other people in our surroundings are feeling and by default we learn to respond accordingly. In yoga, the mat represents our sacred and personal space, where we learn to be kind to ourselves and to others by practicing the asanas (poses), by listening to our body and respecting our limits. As we gain a better perspective of our strengths and weaknesses, we are open to accept it in others too, thus enhancing our social skills.
- Responsible decision-making: learning to choose the most appropriate response in a particular situation. This can be very hard when going through a turmoil of thoughts or feeling an intense emotion. If we fail to learn some techniques we will often be in a fight or flight mode. Through the practice of yoga, we learn to breathe properly, pranayama in yogi vocabulary, in order to calm down the nervous system. Through meditation, yogis calm down the mind by reducing thoughts and from this space of awareness one is better equipped to make the best decision. Through the poses, yogis stretch and relax muscles as a way to reduce anxiety and stress bringing an overall wholesome feeling.
- Improves relationships, yoga helps us to understand our bodies in all its dimensions, helps us to accept our limitations (when practicing asanas) and through meditation it brings us closer to our soul. We learn to connect to our essence which promotes self-love, and when you love yourself you are kind to yourself. Being kind to oneself implies: self-forgiveness for not knowing better and accepting mistakes as stepping stones, nourishing oneself with good food and thoughts, balancing work/school and leisure, being able to say “no” and having boundaries. So, when you are kind and love yourself you replicate the same behaviour with those you come in contact with and yoga is all about love, kindness and peace. “Healthy, supportive and kind relationships are important factors to succeed in life” and one can learn all these lessons and skills simply by meeting regularly with oneself in a yoga mat.
Namaste**
Article written by Karima Juma, yoga instructor for children, certified by Kidding Around Yoga
References:
*Guru is a Sanskrit word that means: Teacher / guide / mentor / coach
**Namaste is a Sanskrit word that means: "All the good in me, sees all the good in you".
