Integrating Journeys with Schools, Museums and Beyond

The first CCISD/Yogiños Teacher Training was
part of a 3-school Pilot Program.

 by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D.


It brought tears to my eyes. And when I say tears, I mean the streaming ones with trembling, smiling lips.

In a PE class at a Corpus Christi elementary school last spring, about 40 kids took their new journey to begin PE class. Singing and practicing the Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® sun salutation, Toco el Sol, it looked and sounded like they had been doing this all year. When the music player stopped suddenly, it didn't stop them; with only 4 days of this vinyasa shining in their lives, they kept the light flowing.

This team of PE teachers were part of a 3-school Pilot Program implementing a sample, 5-week Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® curriculum into their existing program. The Story of Ganesha, featuring a poster of the hero from the Crow Collection of Asian Art and our award-winning DVD with the same name, empowered teachers to weave original art, music, games, stories, and other sensory-integrated

Youth in the Pilot Program participate
in a casual exit-interview

activities to promote flexibility, strength, balance, collaboration, civic and social responsibility, mindfulness, nutrition, and wellness both on and off the yoga mat. This Pilot Program reached over 600 elementary students and about 275 middle schoolers.

With State of Texas Fitnessgram pre- and post-tests, we did see an increase in physical flexibility. "What I like best about Yogiños is that I feel more flexible....  not just here in PE, but everywhere," shared ine 5th grader.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, test results indicate that CCISD 3rd-5th graders average between overweight and obese, and that 48% fall below the National Fitness Zone. Let’s say YES and transform this health crisis into an OHMazing™ opportunity to teach youth how to make healthy choices for themselves, others and the environment!

Current brain, academic and cardiovascular research provide scientific evidence that practices related specifically to yoga and breathing techniques offer:

~ 27% increase in GABA levels (calmness, anti-anxiety);

~ Improved academic achievement through learning how to improve focus and handle stress;

~ Increased academic interest through providing integrated movement in traditionally sedentary, academic settings;

~ Interactive experiences with team-building, cooperation and tolerance.

This summer 80 PE teachers in CCISD spent 2 days in a
Yogiños workshop. Here they practice many elements
of yoga, including asana and pratyahara, in mirror tree pose.

Workshops and Programs provide training and techniques for teachers, faculty, staff and administrators of schools and organizations to integrate aerobic, strength, flexibility and rejuvenation activities into the daily lives of students and families. YES promotes the success of Coordinated School Health and fitness test programs. Customized workshops, trainings, and retreats are available for schools, museums, PTOs, after-school groups, and other organizations and businesses ready to integrate wellness in safe, healthy, engaged, supported and OHMazing™ ways.

Since the completion of the Pilot Program last spring, Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® facilitated our basic training with 80 PE teachers from CCISD last summer and is now in a full-school integration with Corpus Christi Montessori School. Here we are conducting scientific-based research investigating the impact of weaving the program into the school's curriculum. The study includes research with both students and teachers.

Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment. With her doctorate degree in art museum education, Reese is the visual arts columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, a visiting instructor at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, and the author of several articles and book chapters as well as co-author of the book, Experience Art: Teaching and Learning through Works of Art. Her teaching credentials also include windsurfing and skiing.