Update: My Genius Hour

I have begun to research my Genius Hour question. I found a great resource that provided me with 40 ideas about how to integrate yoga into my everyday classroom routine.

Kids Yoga Stories. August 23, 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.kidsyogastories.com/classroom-yoga/

I liked their idea about introducing new yoga poses by creating a theme. For example, alphabet yoga or jungle animal yoga. This addresses one of my concerns which was, how do I switch up the poses I use in my class and what poses do I choose? By choosing a theme, I can pick certain yoga poses that fit into the theme.

We can also practice breathing techniques which are a huge part of yoga. Having this as a separate strategy can help students practice their breathing as a strategy to reduce their stress or calm them down when they are angry or upset. I think I will introduce breathing in one of my first lessons on yoga so that students can integrate it into the rest of the yoga activities we do throughout the year.

There are also a lot of ways to write and reflect about yoga. Some examples were, write affirmation sentences, write about the yoga adventure of the day, write in their Gratitude Journal. These are valuable ways to teach students how to reflect on their feelings, experiences and progress through yoga or using yoga as a way to create positive feelings and feelings of happiness or gratitude.

This resource has been so helpful to me so far and its the first one I've found! I cannot wait to continue to build up my knowledge and resource bank on this topic. Stay tunes for more updates.