Yoga for school children

“Yoga is a subject which has universal appeal. It is a science and an art for culturing the mind and developing the personality. Educationalists have started thinking of introducing Yoga as a subject in schools. However, Yoga is a vast and multifaceted subject and authorities are confused as to which aspect of Yoga should be introduced to students. Some authorities are only familiar with the philosophical aspects of Yoga while others are only aware of the diverse methods of meditation. There are some teachers who think that Yoga merely implies relaxing in Savasana with the eyes closed. Some school authorities are apprehensive as they equate Yoga to a set of mild and orthodox physical exercises. They wonder why one should switch to these archaic Yoga asanas when so many modern forms of vigorous physical exercises are available. All these doubts stem from ignorance...”

Written by Dr Geeta S Iyengar, Yoga for school children continues to discuss the various aspects of Yoga in school, including which aspect of Yoga should be introduced and when, the role of the Yoga teacher, whether Yoga should be voluntary or compulsory and the effect this has on the children’s attitude, the possible syllabus. This article is reprinted with kind permission of Yoga Rahasya, the journal of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India.