304 • PART iii: YogA foR EduCATing foR SElf-REgulATion And EngAgEMEnT
and children’s yoga, this is a valuable resource that complements any program or training
you choose and will help you choose the right one.
YogA PRogRAMS foR SCHoolS
To provide a general scope of what is available, we can refer to the 2015 survey completed
by Butzer et al. Their team looked at school-based yoga programs across the United States.
Butzer et al. (2015) queried organizations that offered school-based yoga programs, gather-
ing information on grade level, type of program (e.g., in class, independent class), primary
geographical region, number of formally trained instructors, existence of a requirement for
basic yoga-teacher certification prior to receipt of training in the program, number of hours
of training required, number of schools implementing the program, and number of years that
the program has been in service (p. 4). The team identified 36 programs that offered yoga in
more than 940 schools. They found that 5,400 instructors had been trained by these programs
to offer yoga in educational settings. The training requirements varied substantially across
programs. Of the programs, 42% (n = 15) of the organizations reported that a basic 200-hour,
registered yoga teacher certification by Yoga Alliance is required prior to attending their spe-
cialized training (registered yoga teacher [RYT]; Butzer et al., 2015). Some programs offer
training for yoga teachers who want to learn how to teach yoga in schools (Butzer et al., 2015).
Other programs specifically train classroom teachers, physical education teachers, school
mental health professionals, and other school personnel. Trainings range from 200-hour cer-
tification to a 1-day in-service for schools. Researchers noted that despite variations across
programs in training requirements, locations, services, and grades covered, they shared the
common goal of each of the four basic elements of yoga: (a) physical postures, (b) breathing
exercises, (c) relaxation, and (d) meditation (Butzer et al., 2015). For the complete review see
Butzer et al. (2015) “School-based yoga programs in the United States: A survey.”
The take away? The field of school-based yoga is substantial and active across the United
States. As with the field of research on school-based yoga, the field of formal programs and
trainings also appears to be growing. Just as with research, there is a wide range of quality
and complexity across programs. Accordingly, school personnel must be mindful in their
choosing. In the following section, I briefly review Yoga 4 Classrooms®, Yoga in Schools,
Little Flower Yoga, and Girls Growing in Wellness and Balance: Life Skills, and Yoga to
Empower. These programs are detailed to highlight aspects of each program and illustrate
various formats. Next, a table of additional programs for which we could retrieve sufficient
information is provided (see Table 13.1).
Yoga 4 Classrooms®
Yoga 4 Classrooms is a good example of a high quality, low cost, accessible program for
schools. Yoga 4 Classrooms was developed by Lisa Flynn (2013), author of Yoga for Children:
200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, and Meditations for Healthier, Happier, More Resilient
Children; founder and director of Childlight Yoga®; and contributor to Best Practices for Yoga
in Schools (Childress & Harper, 2015). The program has an extensive informative web page
at http://www.yoga4classrooms.com. This kindergarten through grade 12 program is described
as low cost, simple, effective, and sustainable. According to the information provided, the