Yogis in Schools

Yogis in Schools is a passion project of Breaking Barriers Yoga to ensure school-age children across the Southern Tier can benefit from the physical, mental and emotional benefits of yoga regardless of their financial circumstance, background or challenges.

The Yogis in Schools program is a developmental, trauma-informed children’s yoga teacher training. Breaking Barriers Yoga is collaborating with Buffalo-based Yogis in Service to introduce a program in the Binghamton area in 2020. The Yogis in Service team partnered with the University at Buffalo to create the YIS 12 Principles for Growth–based on research and proven methods. Find detailed information on their programming in the article published in the International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine in the Downloads section of this page.

Yogis in Schools provide educators with the knowledge and experience you need to become an effective children’s yoga teacher. Educators will learn the foundational knowledge of child development, behavioral management and teaching self-regulation, teacher self-care and presence in the yoga classroom, lesson planning, trauma-informed principles and practices, and sequencing. In addition, they will learn how to take yoga breaks in the classroom and what a yoga program looks and feels like in schools and community centers.

Downloads:

Yogis in Service

Benefits for Classroom Teachers/School Personal

Who would want to take the training?

Yoga instructors looking to specialize in Children’s Yoga (Yoga Alliance [YA] 200 + 95-hour RYCT = Ability to Register with YA as a Children’s Yoga Teacher), Teachers, Therapists, Administrators, and Parents wanting to learn more about yoga and kids.
No prior yoga experience required
Do not have to be an academic teacher to benefit

WHY should educators should engage in this training?

Learn about stress and trauma and how it affects children
Learn tools that helps kids deal with stress in their lives
Help with behavior management in classroom
Specialize their teacher credentials and effectiveness
Secular mindfulness training
Build confidence in your teaching and in the kids
Supporting access to yoga

Brief Overview of the Approach and Model of 12 Principles for Growth by Yogis in Service

yogisinservice.org

Who would want to take the training?

The 12 Principles for Growth were created to help you create the space between stimulus and response. They are aligned with all published research and books on trauma-informed yoga and are being actively used in research across the globe. These principles are for use in the GROWTH ZONE and help you create a GROWTH MINDSET. In YIS, we ask you to get out of your comfort zone and into your growth zone- the place where your life can change to SERVE the best version of yourself (you become a true yogi in service). You- are responsible for bringing yourself to a growth mindset and entering your growth zone.

I Create the Growth Zone

–Yogis in Service and Cook-Cottone et al., (2016). Growth Zone. www.yogisinservice.org

Your growth zone is not in your comfort zone and is- therefore- not comfortable. We ask you to consider that despite being uncomfortable, there is a lot of room for growth that is well within your safety zone. Through practice and support, you can learn to move in and out of your comfort zone and into your growth zone- staying well within your safety zone. With the 12 Principles for Growth, you can create a life that is fuller, more flexible, adaptive, integrated, energized and stable (read Daniel Siegel’s work on integration in his book Mindsight). In your growth you will find connection- to self, others, and your community. Here they are:

Yogis in Service 12 Trauma-Informed, Principles for Growth

The 12 Principles for Growth can be embodied most effectively in sequence. That is, first, empowerment and worth. This is where we begin, form I CAN, and I AM WORTH THE EFFORT. Next, the physical basics- safety, breath, presence, and feeling. Then, you are ready for authentic choice, grounding, ownership, and sustainability. Last, you enter the zone of what we call MINDFUL GRIT. Here you practice both self-compassion and self-determination. Throughout your practice you can work your way up and down this list. You can select one at a time or two that work together (e.g., the physical basics can be paired with all the rest). As you practice with the 12 Principles for Growth you will notice your connection with self, others, and your world shifting. You will have a felt sense (Part I) your Inner Resources, (Part II) Positive Embodiment, (Part III) Self-Regulation, and (Part IV) Mindful Grit.

Part I: Inner Resources (Kids: Me)

I can (kids – I can)

I am worth the effort (Kids – I am always worth it)

Part II: Positive Embodiment (kids- Me and My Body)

I can (kids – I can)

My breath is my most powerful tool (kids- My breath is powerful)

I work toward presence in my body (kids- I can connect with my body)

I feel so that I can heal (kids- It’s okay to feel my feelings)

Part III: Self-Regulation (kids: Me and My Choices)

I can find choice in the present moment (kids- Right now, I can make the best choice for me)

My body is a source for connection, guidance, and coping (kids- I can connect with my body to steady my feelings and make choices)

I can create the conditions for safety and growth (kids- I can make choices to keep me safe and growing)

I can create a balance between structure and change (kids- I can choose when it is best to try new things)

Part IV: Mindful Grit (kids: Me and My Work)

I honor the individual path of recovery and growth (kids- I grow and learn in my own way [we all do])

I work toward the possibility of growth and effectiveness in my own life (kids- I can create my own path of possibility)

YIS 12 Principles for Growth

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response, lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor Frankl

Although I have only been practicing yoga for less than a year, I honestly can't remember my life before yoga.....Read More

At the time I found yoga, I was lost. I didn’t know who I was. I was struggling with internal demands that were taking over my physical wellbeing. Read More

In the Fall of 2017, I returned to yoga to try and make my thirties better: to live the life I always imagined for myself. Read More

After my first yoga class, I thought “OMG! That was the first 75 minutes I have only thought of myself in decades.” Read More

Breaking Barriers Yoga
7 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901

607.677.0490