NEW YORK, USA, February 5, 2016 ( by Lizzie Thompson):In the basement of New Design High School on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, seven teenage girls are sitting on yoga mats. Absent are the Lululemon outfits, the scented candles and ambiguously soothing music that are synonymous with yoga classes these days. For the next 49 minutes the girls will focus on themselves and leave their academic and social worries behind. The yoga class is run by Bent On Learning, a nonprofit that brings yoga into New York City public schools. Founded in 2001 by three yoga instructors, Bent On Learning was awarded a SHAPE 9/11 Grant in 2002 to teach yoga in 10 public schools located near Ground Zero to help students there manage post-traumatic stress following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In the 15 years since, Bent On Learning has seen yoga in the classroom grow beyond those 10 schools. They are now bringing the practice to 3,500 students around the city and find the demand for classes growing faster than they can keep up. Program manager Kristin Lalka estimates that there are around 40 schools on the waiting list. And Bent on Learning is just one of many programs bringing yoga to schools.
Outside of New York City, the phenomenon of yoga in schools crisscrosses the country. In Detroit, Michigan 15 public schools have yoga classes offered through Danielle Karmonos’ Work It Out, a nonprofit that provides yoga and nutrition classes to students in low-income neighborhoods. In Litchfield, Minnesota, one teacher uses yoga techniques to calm and focus her students who are primarily classified with emotional behavior disorder. In Encinitas, California, yoga is widely taught in the classroom, though its implementation prompted a 2012 lawsuit alleging that it was promoting religion. A California appeals court ruled that yoga did not violate religious freedom.
The effects of yoga on students is still being studied, but it has been shown to reduce stress, improve focus and school performance, foster creativity, and improve self-esteem and body image. All outcomes that create healthy students eager to do well in school.