Full Name:

Address 1:

Address 2:

City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email (required):

If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $16.95, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 62% savings off the newsstand price!

Today's Daily Tip

Inversions for Beginners?

B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the most influential voices in Western yoga, calls Sirsasana (Headstand) and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) the king and queen ... (continued)

Multimedia

Video Channel:
From the Magazine

Behind the Scenes at a Yoga Journal Photoshoot

See the work and dedication of our editorial and art teams as we create the images to illustrate Chaturanga.

Watch Video



Print Print Email Email Comment Comment Add to Favorites
Log in to save to My Yoga Journal!
Add to Favorites
Bookmark Bookmark

Teach Your Children Well

Leah Kalish is championing yoga for public schools.

By J.P. Andrews

NOV05_21a.jpg

Is yoga part of your kids’ curriculum? Leah Kalish hopes it will be. She’s on a mission to bring yoga to today’s increasingly stressed schoolchildren. As the director of Yoga Ed., which started in Los Angeles in 2002, Kalish believes yoga can teach physical health in an engaging way while providing emotional and psychological benefits.

In a Yoga Ed. class, either as part of a school’s P.E. curriculum or as a standalone class, kids move into shapes like rock, tree, and dog, and play games that develop breathing and balance. Class discussions and journal writing help kids learn to reduce pretest anxiety, redirect anger, and make good nutrition choices.

“One boy drew a picture of two boys fighting and wrote, ‘I was so mad I was gonna kick his carcass. Then I remembered my yoga breath and I could stop and talk to him!’” says Georgina O’Farrill, a teacher at the Accelerated School in L.A. “It’s extraordinary. Kids return to class from yoga ready to focus and learn.” Indeed, studies show that yoga enhances students’ self-esteem, physical fitness, and academic performance. Yoga Ed.’s curriculum meets standards set by the National Challenge Physical Education Standards. So far, Yoga Ed.’s curriculum has been adopted by the L.A. and Laguna Beach, California, school districts and two schools in Aspen, Colorado.

Teachers who want to bring yoga to their classes can visit www.yogaed.com, which offers tools for teachers, including workshops, CDs, and yoga and nutrition booklets. Yoga Ed. also offers a seven-day training program for yoga instructors and P.E. teachers, which outlines a 36-week curriculum for grades K-8. This year, it will hold teacher trainings in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Texas.

“My vision is of kids connecting with themselves through yoga,” says Kalish. “They cultivate their own wisdom.” Next up? Bringing balance to high schoolers with a curriculum for grades 9-12.

See All Family & Parenting Articles »

Print Print Email Email Comment Comment Add to Favorites
Log in to save to My Yoga Journal!
Add to Favorites
Bookmark Bookmark

Subscribe to Yoga Journal Magazine

Reader Comments

madamekrueger

I teach high school English. I already provide time daily during which we stretch in every block. I am very excited about yogaed and hope that my school system gets behind me on this!

dhakirah

great! idea i hope it happends

Add a Comment »

Your Name:

Comment:

Join Yoga Journal's Benefits Plus

Liability insurance and benefits to support teachers and studios.

Learn More »

Enter to Win Great Prizes!

Enter to Win Great Prizes! Enter to Win Great Prizes! Prizes include a Yoga Journal conference pass, yoga mats, clothes, books, jewelry, energy bars, Yoga Journal DVDs, and more...

Enter Now »

Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 2 FREE Gifts!

FREE Gifts! Your subscription includes
2 FREE GIFTS:

Yoga for Neck & Shoulders

A digital guide to 11 postures that relieve neck, back and shoulder tension.

Yoga Remedies for Everyday Ailments

A digital guide to 8 postures that relieve common health problems such as stress, backache, wrist strain, and insomnia.

Yes! Please send me 2 FREE trial issues
of Yoga Journal and my 2 FREE GIFTS

Full Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email (req):

If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $16.95, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 62% savings off the newsstand price!

Offer valid in US only.
Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions

Save 62% off the cover price Pay Now and Get 2
Bonus Issues
Pay now and get
TWO EXTRA ISSUES FREE!
That's 10 issues for the
same low price!
Click Here to PAY NOW!