Reading, Writing And Yoga
When numerous studies touted the health benefits of yoga, school administrators in Bangalore, India were listening.
Several private and public institutions across the city are now offering yoga to their students, either as an integrated part of curriculum or through weekly organized sessions. Administrators in city schools also created a specialization in yoga, so that children can enroll in yoga as they would other sports.
"We brought in the sessions as yoga has this unmatched power of increasing concentration apart from physical fitness," P.S. Khot, the principal of New Horizon Gurukul School in Bangalore told The Times of India.
Khot's school starts children in yoga from class I, when they are about 6 years old, he said.
The classes are adjusted based on the age of the children and are taught by a qualified trainer. Younger children do basic asanas—or body positions—and older children are given breathing exercises and other postures.
Some teachers say they've seen a different in the students.
"It boosts concentration," Nigar Sultana, principal of Cambridge Public School in Bangalore, told The Times of India. "I have had cases of naughty kids who started concentrating in class after these sessions."
Yoga is known for its ability to increase fitness and reduce stress, and it may also help with weight loss and to alleviate chronic health issues, according to the Mayo Clinic.