Remember when gym class meant running laps around the track or playing dodgeball? In recent years, physical education in schools has evolved to include a wider range of activities, including yoga. Yoga is not just for adults looking to unwind after a long day at work – it can also be a great tool for promoting mindfulness and physical fitness in children. Incorporating yoga into the classroom can help students improve their focus, reduce anxiety, and build strength and flexibility.

Here are 7 yoga poses and activities that you can incorporate into your classroom to help your students reap the many benefits of yoga:

1. Tree Pose: This pose helps to improve balance and concentration. Have your students stand tall with their feet hip-width apart, lift one foot and place it on their inner thigh or calf, and bring their hands together at their chest in prayer position. Encourage them to focus on a spot in front of them to help maintain their balance.

2. Downward Dog: This pose is great for stretching the entire body and calming the mind. Have your students start on their hands and knees, then lift their hips up and back, forming an inverted V shape with their body. Encourage them to press their hands firmly into the ground and relax their neck and shoulders.

3. Butterfly Pose: This pose is perfect for opening up the hips and stretching the inner thighs. Have your students sit on the floor with the soles of their feet together and their knees out to the sides. Encourage them to gently flap their knees up and down like butterfly wings to deepen the stretch.

4. Cat-Cow Pose: This pose helps to improve spinal flexibility and relieve tension in the back. Have your students start on their hands and knees, then arch their back up like a cat and then drop their belly down and lift their head and tailbone like a cow.

5. Sun Salutation: This sequence of poses is a great way to energize the body and focus the mind. Have your students stand tall, reach their arms overhead, fold forward, step back into plank pose, lower down into a push-up, arch up into cobra pose, tuck their toes and lift their hips into downward dog, then step forward and rise back up to standing.

6. Meditation: Take a few minutes at the end of each yoga session to have your students sit quietly with their eyes closed and focus on their breath. Encourage them to let go of any distractions and simply be present in the moment.

7. Partner Poses: Pair your students up and have them work together to do poses like partner tree, partner boat, or partner bridge. This can help foster teamwork and build trust among classmates.

Incorporating yoga into the classroom can be a fun and effective way to promote physical fitness and mindfulness among students. Try incorporating some of these poses and activities into your daily routine and see the positive impact it can have on your students’ overall well-being. Namaste!