306 • PART iii: YogA foR EduCATing foR SElf-REgulATion And EngAgEMEnT
Yoga in Schools
Yoga in Schools (YIS) is an example of a yoga program created from the perspective of
a clinical social worker. YIS was founded in 2004 by Joanne Spence, a clinical social
worker, Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT), and yoga studio owner (see www
. yogainschools.org). She also serves as an advisor to the yoga recreation program at Shuman
Juvenile Detention Center and provides yoga therapy to the patients at Western Psychiatric
Institute and Clinic. Specifically, YIS is a 501(c) (3) organization that provides yoga pro-
gramming and teacher training to several school districts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The
program offers mind-body tools for teaching including easy yoga-based exercises to help
manage stress; simple and effective classroom management techniques to help with focus,
concentration, behavior, and readiness to learn; and brief classroom activities (see www
.yogainschools.org). The mind-body tools include yoga breathing, games/activities, yoga-
like poses and movements, and time-in (i.e., rest, relaxation, inner listening, and reflection;
see http://www.yogainschools.org)..)
The program information indicates that, to date, YIS has exposed nearly 20,000 chil-
dren and 1,000 teachers/staff members to varying levels of yoga programming (see www
.yogainschools.org). The program has an extensive web page that details the program’s
vision, trainings, events, programs, projects, and resources. There is a section that provides
research references that support mind-body tools for learning; mindfulness in education
research highlights; and evidence for mindfulness programs’ effectiveness with school staff.
The program has been evaluated informally as a white paper/program evaluation
(see http://www.yogainschools.org/files/7714/2069/0586/YIS_White_Paper; see also Spence &
Hyde, 2013). Using a qualitative design, Andrea Hyde and Joanne Spence queried par-
ticipants of a YIS professional development program for Health and Physical Education
teachers (n = 74). They found that program participants experienced both (a) positive per-
sonal change and (b) improvement in their professional practice as a result of participating
in the yoga training program. Further, participants reported that yoga was a fun way for
students to learn about their bodies and the benefits of physical activity and to gain self-
control. Teachers saw students gain flexibility, strength, and balance; learn how to relax and
calm themselves; and learn how to de-escalate during stress and aggressions. Participants
reported that yoga met at least one academic standard, while some teachers reported more.
For more about YIS see http://www.yogainscools.org and Spence and Hyde (2013).
little flower Yoga
Little Flower Yoga (LFY) provides a nice illustration of a yoga program that was built from
the experiences of a school-based educator drawn to bring yoga into her classroom. Jennifer
Cohen Harper, MA, E-RCYT, an educator and yoga teacher, is the founder of LFY. She is
also coauthor of Little Flower Yoga for Kids: A Yoga and Mindfulness Program to Help Your Child
Improve Attention and Emotional Balance (Harper, 2013) and co-author of Best Practices for Yoga
in Schools (Childress & Harper, 2013). Harper created the LFY program after successful use
of yoga in her kindergarten classroom, which ultimately led to requests from other students,
teachers, and administrators for their own yoga programs (see http://www.littlefloweryoga.com)..)
Affiliated with LFY, the School Yoga Project offers a school-based program delivering
yoga and mindfulness practices to students (see http://www.littlefloweryoga.com/programs/