Top Tips For Teaching Yoga In Schools - Tip #31: Let Your Program Evolve Naturally Into School Culture

Hi there,

Welcome back to the blog!

While I normally post on Sunday’s, yesterday was a holiday here in America, and I wanted to give myself the day off to REST! So, todays tip is coming to you a day late, but I promise, it’s a good one!

This is a topic that comes up regularly when I’m working with kids yoga teachers 1:1 in my mentorship program, and it’s one that is really important when it comes to teaching yoga in schools.

So, please read the tip below to find out why it’s important to let your program evolve naturally into school culture instead of trying to force it.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or share this post with anyone you feel may benefit!

Tip #31: Let Your Program Evolve Naturally Into School Culture

This week, I want to make a case for you to let your program evolve naturally into school culture. This is a conversation my principal and I have had again and again, and we’ve been intentional about letting our yoga and mindfulness programming evolve naturally into our school culture.

I’ve been hearing from a lot of yoga and mindfulness teachers lately that they know the teachers whose classrooms they teach in would benefit greatly from yoga, but the classroom teachers are reluctant to participate, or that teachers participate, but don’t seem to value, appreciate, or use the yoga and mindfulness practices they’re being taught. 

Here’s the thing: educators have a lot on their plate. Mandating that they incorporate yoga and / or mindfulness into their classroom culture would most likely make some teachers reject it entirely. 

I cringe anytime I hear a teacher making a comment like this. I cringe because, while the desire to help and support is real, forced participation oftentimes discourage buy-in from teachers. As a classroom teacher, I know that when I’m mandated to incorporate a new element into my class, it leads to a lot of stress, anxiety, and sometimes even resentment.
Our job as yoga and mindfulness teachers in school settings isn’t to force these practices on anyone. It’s to provide space and tools for students (and adults) IF, and WHEN they’re ready to use them. 

I’ll close with this short story from a few weeks ago to help illustrate this point. 

I've been teaching yoga and mindfulness full time, as a class at my school for the last 6 years. I see all of our students each year they're with us, so they leave with a strong foundation in yoga, mindfulness and meditation. My principal and I intentionally haven't pushed mindfulness onto staff members, but it's gradually grown, year after year.

Last year, pre-pandemic, we got rid of our morning meeting chant, and replaced it with an abbreviated version of the loving kindness meditation. I had no input on it -- our principal just decided it was time. A few weeks later, he was covering my class while I was out, and got really excited about using the singing bowl at our morning meetings.

And so, a few Monday’s later at morning meeting, we had a student stand up in front of the whole school and lead everyone in the loving kindness meditation and ring the singing bowl, with ZERO guidance from me. And I kid you not, that hallway was quiet.

Our administration is also now using Headspace with kids who need a break from class to reset instead of fussing at them.

We've created a culture of mindfulness at our school, not because we've forced it on teachers, but because we've let it grow and percolate organically.

Tip Takeaway: Let the culture of yoga and mindfulness build naturally and organically in the schools you work in. Don’t try and force it. As you interact with teachers and students, reflect on how you’re talking about yoga and mindfulness. Are you INVITING them to participate without any judgement whether they do or don’t, or are you TELLING them they should participate because they’ll get “so much out of it”? Think about more ways you can INVITE participation in a non-obligatory way for teachers, and then stay patient.