290 • PART iii: YogA foR EduCATing foR SElf-REgulATion And EngAgEmEnT
classroom and school, intersperse positive embodied activities with challenging academic
tasks. The following provides a few more ideas for integrating yoga in the classroom.
Yoga Breaks
A yoga break is a 5 to 10 minute break to stretch between academic tasks, allowing students
time to assimilate knowledge, build a positive mood state, and support physical health
(Asencia, 2006). This can be done first thing in the morning, during class times when you
notice that their attention and focus are waning, between tasks, while students are waiting
in line, before or after lunch, after recess, before a test or exam, when student appear tense
or tired, and at the end of the day (Asencia, 2006). Types of breaks include breathing breaks
in which you guide students through one of the breathing exercises (Asencia, 2006), taking
a few moments to coordinate breath with movement (i.e., raising arms up and down, open-
ing and closing arms, stretching side to side, or folding forward and standing up). Asencia
(2006) suggests stretching the inhale and the exhale out longer than the movement. For an
entire book on yoga breaks, see Goldberg (2016).
Quick Yoga games
When working with students of all ages but especially younger students, bringing a sense
of play into practice can help engage the students. Most books on children’s yoga include a
section on yoga games (e.g., Tantillo, 2012). Choose a game that meets the needs of the class.
Offer what is missing in the room. If the class has been working hard on seated work, do a
quick active yoga game. If students are wound up and are struggling to settle, have them
do a reflective game. You want to avoid relying on yoga games for yoga practice. The choice
of the game should be done with an eye on attunement to their needs, and should build on
more formal yoga practice that builds inner connection and basic yoga skills.
There are lots of ideas for yoga games online and in most yoga for kids books. Many of
these games integrate yoga into traditional games. For example, Red Light, Green Light is
played with the traditional or familiar rules adding a yoga pose when the students freeze. Yoga
Freeze is a simple game of skipping and dancing around the room, freezing and doing a yoga
pose, when the music stops, and moving again when the music starts (Tantillo, 2012). Musical
Cards works like musical chairs, except the students dance around yoga pose cards. When the
music stops they quickly take the pose on the card (Tantillo, 2012). Last, Pass the Cup involves
sitting in a circle and passing a half cup of water in silence, noticing sounds and sensations
(Greenland, 2010). Pass it in one direction and then the other. Next, pass the cup with eyes
closed. Process with the students by asking students what it felt like to use their eyes and then to
rely on other senses to pass the cup. Similarly, you can play pass the breath using a Hober-man
sphere (i.e., expanding ball toy) with each person taking a breath (Willard, 2016). See Herrington
(2012), Flynn (2013), and Harper (2013) for ideas for yoga games, activities, and yoga-based art.
mindful Body Awareness
Body awareness is an integral aspect of yoga. It is awareness of your body, body sensations
inside and out, and a sense of your body in space. Body awareness includes an awareness
of the nonverbal messages in communication and the way they feel in our bodies (David,
2009). Body awareness lets us know when we are tired, hungry, in need of exercise or when