Should we teach yoga / meditation / breathing techniques in schools?

We know that…

• …it’s often hard to be sure about what’s true and what works – we know this about  medicine and politics of course; but it’s also true in schools.
• …students seem to be in the midst of an epidemic of mental-health related issues in schools around the world
• …teachers (like many professions I suspect) are also reporting high levels of stress, with some approaching burnout.
• …many issues that were once the province of parents and/or doctors are now part of regular school education.
• …a diverse staff and parent body in many schools means that many issues that are problems to one community are strengths to another community.
• …a diverse staff and parent body in many schools means that even where there is an identified problem, there can be no completely agreed solution.

All of these issues are in my mind: I have just finished a three day, nine-hour Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (Sky)course on meditation/breathing, mainly at the weekend, and am wondering if it can transfer into school.  The course arose by a happy accident – a colleague who has extensive experience in this area has shared some breathing techniques – which have been very, very well received by teachers and students who find them energising and relaxing at the same time. So when we had a chance to trial the course with 20 teachers and leaders, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

After these three days I do feel very relaxed, focussed and positive, and I had the sense that this sentiment was shared by all, though we have not yet undertaken a  formal feedback process.   I can imagine that if all teachers and students felt this way all the time, then points 2 and 3 above would not be a concern.

So does this mean that we should find ways to offer this course to students and staff?  Can we find time in a very busy programme for all?  What would we stop doing to make room?

You will see from the bullet points above that I retain some concerns here; just because a group of volunteers enjoyed the course does not mean it will translate beyond those who have an interest, or that any of the effects will be long lasting, or that it will translate to better student learning.  It’s this third piece that would really convince me of the value – so in our follow-ups we shall be seeking to understand the possibilities here better.

However, even if the learning value is clear, there are other issues.  I am not quite clear about what is the responsibility of schools and what is personal.  Would a yoga approach to professional learning for teachers cross the professional-personal divide?  I tend to think probably not – if it works, maybe we should be doing it; but mandating this for teachers feels wrong to me, somehow.  We know that better sleep and regular intense physical exercise would likely help wellbeing and hence support teaching and learning a lot, but we do not put on mandatory sleeping or gym courses  – I think because we see these as personal matters.

A quick search for this course yields photos such as this, which while beautiful, are somewhat off putting to those who live in less spectacular surroundings (ie nearly all of us).

A search for the course also produces this, which to me seems to suggest some rather grand  spiritual sense of something – but I am not quite sure what.  This worries me a bit.

I am also very mindful that there will be suspicions (not least from me) of this type of course as spilling into areas that might be perceived as religious/spiritual.  As a secular school with a multi-faith community, we need to treat very carefully here – recognising of course that perception of a non-secular approach does not mean reality.

All that said, the data I have found about the effect of this programme- this research – looks promising, and I think is a very significant factor.  But then again, even if we decide that the course is very good, might there be better ones?  It might be possible to get the same benefits from, for example, a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme.

If you have read this far, you will detect that this post is really me just wondering out loud about how this course might play out.  It’ll be fascinating to follow up with colleagues over the next few months and I’ll no doubt write again on this topic.  It would be great to hear from any readers with their experiences  – please do leave a comment.