• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Yoga for Childre n Continuing Nursing Education Laura Santangelo White Series There is an increasing interest in the use of yoga for children to calm the mind and increase health and well being. Despite scant but increasing evidence supporting the efficacy of yoga in children, special yoga pro- grams within schools are being developed for children and adolescents. This increasing popularity of the potential benefits of yoga may encourage parents to consider yoga for their children and request referrals or clarification of the purported effects. A description of the philosophical basis of yoga, the basic compo- nents of a yoga practice, safety concerns, and how to locate and evaluate a yoga program for children will be addressed. rom a school principal man- Encouraging anecdotal re p o r t s ness, happiness, and well-being dating yoga for high school describe yoga calming childre n , (Feuerstein, 2003). Wholeness, in this seniors (Rimer, 2007) to a reducing obesity, reducing discipline context, appears to mean the integra- principal of an elementary p roblems, decreasing anger and panic tion of body, mind, and spirit, and con- Fschool providing yoga to calm stu- attacks, and enhancing imagination, nection between the self and a divine dents and handle stress (Eagan, concentration, and academic per- Being that leads to self realization or 2007), yoga is in the news. Schools f o rmance (Flisek, 2001). Health pro b- o n e ’s true identity – the authentic self. a re increasingly using this ancient lems, such as headaches, stom- Yoga helps individuals focus attention. t h e r a p y, including breathing and pos- achaches, constipation, back pain, Humans are viewed as conscious- t u res, to help students manage stre s s and colds or sinus problems, are n e s s - e n e rgy (cit-shakti), and the and influence well being and behavior. re p o rted ly improved with a yoga prac- physical body surrounds this underly- The increased awareness of the tice (Luby, 1998), as well as a ing existence. Yoga as a traditional potential benefits of yoga for childre n d e c rea sed need for medication for practice was thought to lead to self- has resulted in school programs that c h i l d ren with attention deficit disord e r t r a n s f o rmation through transcendence a d d ress stress and anxiety by tre a t i n g (Flisek, 2001). There is scant but of the ego (Feuerstein, 2003). The the body and mind. Emphasis on indi- g rowing empiric support for positive mind and breath are intimately con- vidual abilities rather than competition health effects of yoga (Galantino, nected so that influencing the one will makes yoga appropriate for all chil- G a l b a v y, & Quinn, 2008; Jensen & a ffect the other. Yoga consists of spe- d ren, including those with physical K e n n y, 2004; Kuttner et al., 2006; cific postures coordinated with bre a t h - limitations and lack of involvement in Manjunath & Telles, 2001). ing, meditation, and concentration to o rganized sports. Obesity and a lack Despite the paucity of re s e a rch, the focus and calm the mind (Feuerstein, of exercise are recognized as factors i n c r easing attention to yoga may 2003). in the health and well being of chil- encourage parents to explore yoga for The first mention of yoga was doc- d ren, and are acknowledged as public their children and request re f e rrals or umented in ancient Hindu scripture health concerns (Budd & Hayman, clarification of the purported eff e c t s . 5,000 years ago and influenced by 2006). Yoga provides a non-thre a t e n- Some children may practice yoga Buddhist philosophy. The traditional ing and gentle method to incre a s e within physical education classes, and purpose of yoga was to help transform physical fitness and enhance health p a ren ts may express concern re g a rd- or transcend the self. The early Hindu and well being. ing the perceived religious affiliation of s c r i p t u res are re p o r ted to have been yoga. What exactly is yoga and should written in 2000 BCE. These early writ- c h i l d ren practice it? A description of ings of the Vedic peoples who inhabit- the philosophical basis of yoga, the ed present-day India were re s p o n s i b l e Laura Santangelo White, MS, RN, is a basic components of a yoga practice, for the oldest extant literature, the Doctoral Student, Connell School of safety concerns, and how to locate Vedas (Feuerstein, 2003). The early Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA. and evaluate a yoga program for chil- Hindu scriptures included “philosophi- Statement of Disclosure: The author d ren will address these questions. cal texts to epic stories” (Bre u i l l y, re p o r ted no actual or potential conflict of O’Brien, & Palmer, 1997). i n t e rest in relation to this continuing nursing The early Vedic writings included education art i c l e . Philosophical Foundations four collections of scripture. The old- Of Yoga est and most popular is the Rig Ve d a , The root of the word yoga is “to which is a collection of hymns Objectives and the yoke” or “to harness” (Feuerstein, ( B r euilly et al., 1997). These early CNE posttest can be 2003, p. 4). The goal of yoga was texts concentrated on the pantheon of found on pages 296-297. originally to provide a guide for whole- gods and divine belief and ritual. The PEDIATRIC NURSING/September-October 2009/Vol. 35/No. 5 277 Upanishads presented a more ab- t h rou gh postures (ãsanas), mindful c u r rent health interests, such as fit- stract philosophy, which reflected a b reathing (prãnãyãma), and medita- ness, stress management, and the decline in the emphasis on rituals and tion (Dhyana), eventually experienc- recognition of psychosomatization, as p resented more of a personal, intern a l ing the union of the self with the well as the re p o r ted decline of institu- religious practice. The concept of re i n- objects of meditation (Samadhi) tionalized religion (DeMichelis, 2004). c a r nation was presented as an impor- (Gates, 2002). Moral teachings within Within a secularized West, yoga began tant part of life described as a perpet- yoga include the guidance of the to be associated with emerging alter- ual cycle of birth, suffering, death, and yamas, niyamas, the four aims of life, native medicine and personal inner re b i r th. Individuals sought a way to and the five moral afflictions. private religious practice. By the escape this cycle. The further evolu- The Yamas include the practice of 1970s, yoga was related to healing tion of Hindu scriptures moved fro m five moral restraints: non-violence and personal growth (DeMichelis, the abstract to the concept of devotion (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non- 2004). The practice of yoga in the to a personal God (Breuilly et al., stealing (asteya), moderation (brah- West is described as reductionistic and 1997). m a c a r ya), and non-hoarding (apari- may only concentrate on the ãsanas The most famous Hindu writing is graha). The Niyamas include five to the neglect of prãnãyãma, mental the Bhagavad-Gita, a part of the o b s e r vances: purity (sauca), content- discipline, or spiritual development w o r l d ’s oldest poem, M a h a b h a r a t a. ment (santosa), austerity or zeal (Feuerstein, 2003). The Bhagavad-Gita describes a moral (tapas), self-study (svadhyaya), and The individual yoga practice conflict resulting in the realization that the devotion to a higher power depends on the needs and abilities of the love between God and humanity is (isvara-pranidhana). the yoga student and the qualifica- of utmost importance in life (Bre u i l l y The four aims of life include the tions of the yoga teacher. When prac- et al., 1997). o b s e r vation of a spiritual discipline ticing yoga at fitness gyms, the The yoga was originally associated ( d h a r ma), the creation of a balanced emphasis is likely to concentrate on with the early rituals of Hindu spiritual- life (artha), the enjoyment of the pro- its physical benefits. Yoga studios with ity (Feuerstein, 2003). The posture s duction from one’s work (kama), and teachers who may see yoga as a way (ãsanas) are meant to increase flexi- the freedom from the cycle of suff e r- of life rather than an exercise may bility and strength, and improve bodi- ing (moksa). The five moral aff l i c t i o n s include the higher practices of yoga ly functions, such as the endocrine within yoga are spiritual ignorance beyond postures and breathing and system, gastrointestinal and immune (avidya), pride (asmita), desire m e d i t a t i o n . functioning, sleep, eye-hand coord i- (raga), aversion (dvesa), and fear of nation, and balance. The practice of death (abhinivesa) (Gates, 2002). In the ãsanas may also lead to psycho- general, classical yoga follows the Styles of Yoga logical findings of increasing somatic Yoga Su˜tras of Patanjali (Feuerstein. T h e re are 40 re p o r ted styles of a w a ren ess, attention, memory, learn- 2003).

Load more

  8

Copy Link