Education has always come in many shapes and forms. But in Springfield Public Schools, some of those forms may be the plank, the downward-facing dog and the butterfly.
Yes, youngsters are being taught yoga along with reading, writing and arithmetic.
Jennifer Martin, associate professor of education at University of Illinois Springfield, is partnering with Springfield Public Schools District 186 to integrate yoga and social-emotional learning into the curriculum. The idea is to equip children with productive ways to deal with anger and stress.
“I thought maybe we could do an after-school yoga club for the students who are interested, and get students engaged and invested in the practice,” Martin said. “And maybe they’ll want to teach some things to their classmates: different poses, different breathing techniques.”
Martin’s outreach precedes a state law that takes effect Jan. 1, which calls for 20 minutes of weekly yoga or meditation in schools. This new law, championed by state Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, emphasizes the role of these practices in supporting student health and learning.Â
However, Ventura told Illinois Times that the law is not a mandate.
“We wanted to initially mandate 20 minutes per week. We received pushback from some of the superintendents and administrators saying that there’s just not enough time during the day and requiring certain checkoffs throughout the year would be very difficult to track. So, taking that feedback, we reintroduced the bill as a permissive one that allows school districts and teachers to do this.”
District 186 is well ahead of the curve when it comes to social and emotional learning, said Gail Capps, who leads that endeavor for Springfield schools.
“This is not something we’re starting. This is something that we’re continuing,” she said. “We have been doing social-emotional learning for a number of years, and I think things started to thrust a little bit quicker when we went into remote learning during COVID. We had to acknowledge and recognize that we had a lot of kids and adults (who were) not OK.
“So, we as an SEL team pivoted and created quite a bit of support and professional learning around mindful practices,” Capps said.
Rachel Denzen, the lead social worker for the school district, said there are a variety of mindfulness activities taught to students.
For example, pupils are taught breathing exercises designed to reduce stress. And she noted the district also uses a mindfulness curriculum called GoNoodle, which offers a variety of physical activities or “brain breaks” that can be used to help children burn off energy and concentrate on learning. Some of the activities include dancing, yoga and running games.
Denzen said some teachers have added yoga into their mindfulness activities as well.
Last year, at Douglas Alternative School, UIS professor Martin led a project involving ninth-grade students who created their own memoirs and engaged in yoga, breathing techniques and other mindfulness practices.
Martin said students found the breathing exercises effective for managing stress and improving emotional well-being.
The UIS professor also has started a yoga program at Hazel Dell Elementary School, targeting fifth-grade students who attend the Boys and Girls Clubs after-school program. This program aims to introduce younger students to yoga and practices designed to support their physical, emotional and mental development.
“The yoga club at Hazel Dell provides an opportunity to teach younger students valuable skills that can enhance their well-being,” Martin said. “Incorporating these practices into their routines can help build emotional regulation and self-awareness.”
Sen. Ventura said she has practiced yoga since she was 7 years old and sees it as beneficial for anyone dealing with stress.
“My stress as state senator is incredible. So, meditation and yoga have become everyday practices for me,” she said.
Youngsters face a host of stressors ranging from violence in the classroom to pressure to perform academically, she added.
“I’m constantly trying to explain to my kids: ‘Just take a moment, just breathe. … You can just exist and go to school and do your best and come home and that can be enough,'” Ventura said.
Although yoga is a practice with roots in Hinduism, Ventura said her legislation should not be used as an opportunity for religion to be imposed on students.
“I think that it is really important that it does allow space for all school districts to have quiet time or have that moment of reflection. And if some people want to look at that as a moment to say a prayer of gratefulness to themselves, they can do that. But it can’t be led by an organization or a teacher in the context of religion,” Ventura said. “Outside of that, it does provide for those moments of just being grateful or being quiet and hearing (what) oneself and one’s body might need.”
This article appears in Finding a way forward.
