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A SURVEY of YOUTH YOGA CURRICULUMS a Dissertation A SURVEY OF YOUTH YOGA CURRICULUMS A Dissertation Submitted to The Temple University Graduate Board in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Robin A. Lowry August, 2011 Examining Committee Members: Ricky Swalm, Advisory Chair, Kinesiology Michael Sachs, Kinesiology Catherine Schifter, Education Jay Segal, Public Health ii © Copyright By Robin A. Lowry 2011 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT A SURVEY OF YOUTH YOGA CURRICULUMS By Robin A. Lowry Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2011 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Ricky Swalm, Ph. D. Introduction: Yoga is increasingly recommended for the K-12 population as a health intervention, a Physical Education activity, and for fun. What constitutes Yoga however, what is taught, and how it is taught, is variable. The purpose of this study was to survey Youth Yoga curriculums to identify content, teaching strategies, and assessments; dimensions of wellness addressed; whether national Health and Physical Education (HPE) standards were met; strategies to manage implementation fidelity; and shared constructs between Yoga and educational psychology. Methods: A descriptive qualitative design included a preliminary survey (n = 206) and interview (n = 1), questionnaires for curriculum developers (n = 9) and teachers (n = 5), interviews of developers and teachers (n = 3), lesson observations (n= 3), and a review of curriculum manuals. Results: Yoga content was adapted from elements associated with the Yoga Sutras but mostly from modern texts, interpretations, and personal experiences. Curriculums were not consistently mapped, nor elements defined. Non-Yoga content included games, music, and storytelling, which were used to teach Yoga postures and improve concentration, balance, and meta-cognitive skills. Yoga games were non- competitive and similar to PE games. Teaching strategies included guided inquiry and dialoguing. Assessments were underutilized and misunderstood. Lessons were created to engage students across multiple dimensions of wellness; cultivate self awareness, attention, and concentration; and teach relaxation skills. Spiritual wellness was addressed iv using relaxation, self-awareness, partner work, and examining emotional states. Developers adapted curriculums to meet HPE standards when needed. Yoga was considered appropriate across all developmental stages and could be adapted to meet specific needs. Developers tended not to manage fidelity; strict control was perceived as contrary to Yoga philosophy. Curriculum manuals were resources, not scripts. Continuing education included workshops, videos, and online forums. Emerging themes included attention, awareness, meta-cognition, and self-regulation as learning objectives; dialoguing as a teaching strategy; and the influence of mindfulness and positive psychology on curriculum design. These suggest additional areas of research. Curriculums need codification, defining, and mapping of elements including the alignment of teaching strategies with assessments. The benefits of Yoga, beyond the physical postures, need further study. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must first thank all the teachers and developers who gave their time to answer questionnaires, sit for interviews, and respond to follow-up emails. Deb Brackett was always available for ponderings, made validation of the observation tool possible, and was a uniquely combined Yoga teacher, PE teacher, and friend. Dr. Ricky Swalm offered essential critiques, took the mystery out of the dissertation process, shared my enthusiasm for HPE, and always listened to the tribulations of my teaching experiences. I was also fortunate to have on my committee Dr. Michael Sachs who, along with his green pen, was supportive and constructive. Dr. Catherine Schifter contributed expertise in both curriculum analysis and qualitative evaluation techniques. Drs. Sachs and Schifter were equally available and patient as I realized how much more was to be done. As a final reader, Dr. Jay Segal brought this project full circle as he was one of my first professors in the PHETE program many years ago and, as was revealed, had a personal contact with B. K. S. Iyengar which he said left an impression. Final thanks go out to Fred Smith, professor of classical and early Indian religions and Sanskrit at the University of Iowa for reading chapter 2 and offering suggestions and further reading. I am grateful to my Yoga teachers Joan White, B. K. S. Iyengar, and Geeta Iyengar. They sparked my interest in Yoga giving me the tools to cultivate my koshas . To Karen and Rebecca who did not get a chance to celebrate with me. And finally, I am forever and eternally devoted to Lyle my ishta devata, and my tech geek, who taught me how to be a student. vi DEDICATION I am dedicated to Lyle. This work is dedicated to B. K. S. Iyengar without whom the science and art of Yoga would have been lost to me. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER CHAPTER ONE: THE PROBLEM ....................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...............................................................................................4 Research Questions ........................................................................................................5 Delimitations ..................................................................................................................5 Limitations .....................................................................................................................6 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................7 Bias Statement .............................................................................................................14 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................16 What is Yoga? ..............................................................................................................16 An Historical Perspective ........................................................................................16 Yoga Defined ..........................................................................................................18 Yoga Paths ...............................................................................................................21 The Three Yoga Texts Used in this Study ..............................................................24 The Teacher-Student-Lineage Tradition .................................................................27 Modern Yoga ...........................................................................................................30 Yoga Pedagogy ............................................................................................................33 Yoga Practices .........................................................................................................34 Yoga for Children ....................................................................................................39 Yoga as an Intervention ...........................................................................................43 Styles of Yoga Education Relevant to this Study ....................................................50 viii Strategies for the Current Study ...................................................................................55 Interviewing .............................................................................................................55 Curriculum Mapping ...............................................................................................55 Implementation Fidelity ..........................................................................................57 Pedagogical Elements Relevant to the Current Study .................................................58 Health and Physical Education Pedagogy ...............................................................58 Spiritual Wellness ....................................................................................................62 Positive Psychology ................................................................................................65 Engaged Pedagogy ..................................................................................................66 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................68 Research Design...........................................................................................................68 Research Timeline ...................................................................................................72 Procedures ....................................................................................................................72 The Survey of Youth Yoga Teachers ......................................................................72
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