Can yoga increase academic performance and test scores at school? That’s what our partner schools are confirming. Let’s explore how Yoga benefits staff and students with managing transitions and testing to create calm, connected, proud and productive classrooms. Here are two reasons to bring Yoga to your classroom.
- Focus is at an all-time low. The biggest childhood predictor of success is the ability to concentrate. Distractions affect learning, especially in young minds. Research shows average focus time is the lowest ever - between 3 to 5 seconds - in our “swipe now ” evolution. Great Schools – Like a Sponge podcast: Their Own Devices
- Anxiety is at an all-time high. Of the 74.5 million children in the United States, an estimated 17.1 million have or have had a mental health disorder — more than the number of children with cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. Half of all mental illness occurs before the age of 14, and 75 percent by the age of 24. Anxiety is at the top of the list. Source: Childmind - About Us
These facts make learning harder than ever in schools today. We’ll look at how Yoga can help in Transitions and Testing: Why Yoga belongs in every classroom (Part 2 of 2).
Problems for Youth Athletes (Part 1) outlined common issues student-athletes face at the collegiate level. Yoga can help protect the growing body and brain from over impact and mental fatigue. The practice takes 2 to 10 minutes daily and can be worked into any sport or performing art.
These pre-practice, game or performance routines and post-practice, game and performance cool downs can prevent injuries and maximize mental capacity to maintain self-motivation and achieve peak performance.
Outcomes
- Full spinal rotation – lumbar, thoracic and cervical spine
- Flexible Hamstrings – strong posterior chain from calves to gluteus maximus
- Strong and Flexible Extensors – core strength and minimal back pain
- Opposition – ability to cross the midline with balanced mobility
- Internal Rotation – ability to connect to core strength
- Strong Proprioception – body awareness and balance = agility
- Stable Joints – controlled deceleration and full range mobility
- Motivated – positive performance oriented mindset
Parents can protect their kids by urging youth coaches, sports leagues, and performing arts organizations to explore these basic proven practices that enhance growing kids’ mental and physical performance over time.
Many parents want their sporty kid to play and secure a college scholarship and why not? Attending college is more expensive than ever! However, according to Stanford Children’s Hospital, ”…More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports…”
Here’s what the top trainers at the collegiate level say about the condition of the students-athletes who actually make it. Common problems emerge from specialization at young ages both physically and mentally.
Challenges
- Limited spinal rotation – most sports are linear and don’t incorporate twisting
- Tight Hamstrings – weak posterior chain from calves to gluteus maximus
- Weak and Inflexible Extensors – this leads to lack of mobility and back pain
- Opposition – inability to cross the midline with balanced mobility
- Externally Rotated – lack of ability to internally rotate and connect to core strength
- Poor Proprioception – ability to balance on one limb
- Compromised Joints – connective tissue is worn down creating pain, permanent damage or required surgery(ies)
- Burned Out – lack of motivation and/or negative attitude or energy
Yoga can help alleviate many of these issues throughout the growing process yielding a healthier student-athlete.
Read Part 2 to see how.
Many sports and dance are highly ballistic, meaning muscles must contract at maximum speeds in short bursts and require explosive movement (jump, lunge, sprint and change directions) as fast as possible. Pre-sport warm-ups should be dynamic movement that reflects the demands of the sport or performing art, especially for growing bodies and minds.
Yoga targets Mindset practices (meditation and mantras) and Movement for muscle groups specific to jumping, pivoting, lateral slides and lunging patterns. This bridges activity so muscles can be a peak tension before training, play or a performance.
Post practice, game and performance cool downs can help repair the body and mind. Recovery with reflection and static stretches can help prevent injuries and maximize mental capacity to maintain motivation and achieve peak performance.