The Educational Yoga project for middle schools that we will analyze was designed to address specific needs of the institution, such as improving concentration, relationships among peers and emotional management in children approaching adolescence.
The extensive documentation, consisting of questionnaires administered to students and parents throughout the project, demonstrated the achievement of very positive results!
Let’s analyze the project in detail!
The project
This Educational Yoga project was developed with the primary objective of improving the ability to concentrate and emotional management in children during the transition to adolescence.
This program involved a first-year middle school class in a total of 20 lessons, from October to May.
As mentioned, the focus was on education in emotional management through Educational Yoga, also integrated with sound and music education.
The lessons were structured to alternate moments of physical activity with moments of relaxation, in line with the precept “Maximum tension, maximum relaxation” of the Educational Yoga Wave. In particular, the aim was to provide the students with concrete tools to have a more peaceful and fulfilling school life, improve their ability to relate to others and increase their self-awareness.
The final questionnaires demonstrated the achievement of these objectives: the children participated with enthusiasm, showing a considerable interest in the proposed activities.
Through the combination of yoga and music, in fact, it was possible to create a stimulating and reassuring environment where pupils could explore their emotions in a safe and supported way.
Fostering emotion management in children with music
The innovative approach of this project consisted in combining Educational Yoga with sound and music, based on the premise that rhythm is fundamental in both disciplines.
Through rhythm education it was possible to help the children regulate their emotions and develop greater awareness of their own body and their emotional reactions.
The activities included breathing exercises, rhythmic games and listening to different types of sounds, both musical and natural. These exercises not only improved their concentration, but also allowed them to recognize their emotions and manage them more effectively.
Indeed, when children learn to synchronize breathing with movement and follow musical rhythms, they develop greater self-regulation capacity, which is crucial for their emotional well-being.
The benefits of this approach have been manifold!
The students showed significant improvement in their ability to concentrate during lessons and to manage stressful situations or conflicts in a calmer and more conscious way.
This was scientifically measured by questionnaires filled out by the children, girls and parents at the end of the project!
The results
To effectively evaluate the results of the project, the following were used two types of questionnaires.
The first (1Q), administered in October and repeated at the end of the year, involved both students and parents, focusing on emotions and social interactions.
The second (2Q), proposed in February and repeated at the end of the year, addressed only to students, focused on the effects of yoga and music.
Thanks to the data collected, it was possible to make significant comparisons between the students’ responses and those of the parents, as well as measure the class’s evolution throughout the school year.
The benefits of Educational Yoga have been many and well documented.
In particular, children demonstrated greater ability in:
- Recognize, manage and express one’s emotions
- be more focused
- share positive moments with peers (all fundamental life skills!).
Furthermore, a marked reduction in anxiety and a general increase in serenity were observed.
The parents also confirmed the effectiveness of the project, reporting significant improvements in interactions with their children.
Let’s see the results of the questionnaires in detail!
The Benefits of Educational Yoga
Analysis of the questionnaire data revealed significant improvements in various aspects of the children’s lives. The main results are reported below:
- interpersonal skills: at the end of the year, 57% of the children stated that they always feel good with their peers, 38% often. This result can be attributed to the fact that during the school year many activities were organized to improve relationships in the class, including the Educational Yoga project;
- Management of emotions in children: 76% of students indicated that yoga helped them recognize and better manage their emotions, compared to the initial 63%. This result is fundamental for the children’s emotional well-being;
- concentration: 62% of students stated that yoga helped them stay more focused (a percentage increase compared to the initial 54%). Improving concentration ability is essential for academic success;
- safety: 52% of students stated that they feel more confident and relaxed thanks to yoga. Emotional security is fundamental for effective learning and a peaceful school life;
- relaxation: 81% of the children felt more relaxed after the Educational Yoga sessions. This, naturally, is fundamental for healthy and balanced growth, as well as for creating an inclusive and functional school environment.
Do you like educational yoga?
One of the key questions in the questionnaires concerned the liking of the cycle of educational yoga meetings..
The results showed that most of the students enjoyed the activities e wish to continue practicing it!
In fact, according to the data collected:
- in the initial questionnaire, 82% of students stated that they enjoyed the Educational Yoga lessons. This percentage increased to 90% in the final questionnaire, indicating a growing appreciation for the activities carried out;
- at the end of the program, 95% of students responded that they like Educational Yoga; compared to the initial 74%, this demonstrates a significant increase in appreciation;
- 95% of students expressed the desire to continue practicing yoga; there was a slight decrease compared to the initial 100%, but this is still indicative of high satisfaction.
Parents' point of view
Parents’ responses also confirmed much of the pupils’ answers:
- communication and involvement: 40 percent of parents reported that their children talked a lot about Educational Yoga at home, an increase from the initial 35 percent;
- liking: 87% of parents stated that their children really like Educational Yoga! This confirms the strong appreciation of the program by the children;
- general well-being: 86% of parents observed that Educational Yoga helped their children feel better. This data is significant and indicates that parents perceive a positive impact of the program on their children’s emotional and physical well-being.
Therefore, the parents confirmed the effectiveness of the program, noting significant improvements in emotional management and the general well-being of their children.
This feedback underscores the value of Educational Yoga projects in lower secondary schools!
The educator's point of view
The teacher who conducted the project, observed several trends in the data collected from the questionnaires.
The percentage of students who stated that Educational Yoga helped them feel better about themselves and relax remained constant throughout the year.
However, positive responses regarding interaction with peers decreased. This decline could be attributed to the fact that the students were at the end of the primary school cycle, a period when many other activities aimed at improving interpersonal relationships are proposed, often in collaboration with other colleagues. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that, to the question “Are you doing well with your classmates?”, at the end of the year the 57% of the pupils answered “always”.
Also slightly declining are the responses regarding self-listening, emotional management and breath control. Simona does not consider these declines negative, as she believes that the students have become more aware of their emotions and more attentive to what they feel, recognizing with greater clarity their own difficulties in managing and controlling them.
The responses from the first questionnaire indicated that a positive climate and well-being had been created in the classroom. Regarding emotions such as anger, boredom, fear, agitation and anxiety, a notable improvement in their management was observed.
There was an increase in students who manage to be more attentive, who consider themselves capable and who feel satisfied. Also notable is the increase in those who feel good alone, a finding that the educator considers very positive.
However, the percentage of those who struggle to relax and do nothing has also increased, probably due to the numerous extracurricular activities to which students are subjected.
In any case, Simona emphasizes how the data demonstrated the great success of the project!
Bottom line.
If you have come this far, you have been able to discover the effectiveness of Educational Yoga in fostering healthy and balanced development of children!
If you aspire to become a yoga teacher, the Educational Yoga course, recognized by MIUR, is the ideal choice for your training: visit the page dedicated to the courses to become a teacher of Educational Yoga or read our guide how to become a teacher of Yoga for children!
If this topic interests you, learn about the benefits of yoga online.
Also discover the benefits of educational yoga in preschool, elementary school, and high school!
Contact us, we will be happy to help you!
Are you interested in implementing an Educational Yoga project in your school or in your area?
Please do not hesitate to contact us to receive further information and discover how we can contribute to the well-being and development of your children and young people.
Send an email to the National Projects Coordinator [email protected]
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Get to know the authors!
A certified instructor of Oki do Yoga, with a master’s degree in “Yoga Studies” from the University of Venice, she is an adjunct lecturer of the advanced training course “Educational Yoga at School” at the University of Padua.
Co-Founder and President of Ssd “Educational Yoga.”
Holding a Ph.D. in Pedagogical, Educational and Training Sciences from the University of Padua. The doctoral thesis focused on the training of trainers in Educational Yoga.
Docent of the advanced training course “Yoga Educativo a scuola.” the Advanced Training Course at UniPd was conceived by the founders of Yoga Educativo, together with Director Prof. Luca Agostinetto.
Co-founder and vice president of Ssd “Educational Yoga.”